I see your questions.
Each and every time I post on my Facebook page or tweet about my crusade for a clean energy future, I see them.
There are always a few of you, asking why we should care about the temperature rising, or questioning the science of climate change.
I want you to know that I hear you. Even those of you who say renewable energy is a conspiracy. Even those who say climate change is a hoax. Even those of you who use four letter words.
I've heard all of your questions, and now I have three questions for you.
Monday, December 26, 2016
Friday, December 16, 2016
Fakebook
Facebook is taking new measures to curb the spread of fake news on its
huge and influential social network, focusing on the "worst of the
worst" offenders and partnering with outside fact-checkers to sort
honest news reports from made-up stories that play to people's passions
and preconceived notions.
Fake news stories touch on a broad range of subjects, from unproven cancer cures to celebrity hoaxes and backyard Bigfoot sightings. But fake political stories have drawn attention because of the possibility that they influenced public perceptions and could have swayed the U.S. presidential election.
To start, Facebook is making it easier for users to report fake news when they see it, which they can now do in two steps, not three. If enough people report a story as fake, Facebook will pass it to third-party fact-checking organizations that are part of the nonprofit Poynter Institute's International Fact-Checking Network.
The fact-checking organizations Facebook is currently working with are ABC News, The Associated Press, FactCheck.org, Politifact and Snopes. Facebook says this group is likely to expand.
Stories that flunk the fact check won't be removed from Facebook. But they'll be publicly flagged as "disputed" by third-party fact-checkers, which will force them to appear lower down in people's news feed. Users can click on a link to learn why. And if people decide they want to share the story anyway, they can — but they'll get another warning that it has been disputed.
By partnering with respected outside organizations and flagging, rather than removing, these disputed stories, Facebook is sidestepping some of the biggest concerns experts had raised about it exercising its considerable power in this areas. For instance, some worried that Facebook might act as a censor — and not a skillful one, either, being an engineer-led company with little experience making complex media ethics decisions.
Fake news stories touch on a broad range of subjects, from unproven cancer cures to celebrity hoaxes and backyard Bigfoot sightings. But fake political stories have drawn attention because of the possibility that they influenced public perceptions and could have swayed the U.S. presidential election.
To start, Facebook is making it easier for users to report fake news when they see it, which they can now do in two steps, not three. If enough people report a story as fake, Facebook will pass it to third-party fact-checking organizations that are part of the nonprofit Poynter Institute's International Fact-Checking Network.
The fact-checking organizations Facebook is currently working with are ABC News, The Associated Press, FactCheck.org, Politifact and Snopes. Facebook says this group is likely to expand.
Stories that flunk the fact check won't be removed from Facebook. But they'll be publicly flagged as "disputed" by third-party fact-checkers, which will force them to appear lower down in people's news feed. Users can click on a link to learn why. And if people decide they want to share the story anyway, they can — but they'll get another warning that it has been disputed.
By partnering with respected outside organizations and flagging, rather than removing, these disputed stories, Facebook is sidestepping some of the biggest concerns experts had raised about it exercising its considerable power in this areas. For instance, some worried that Facebook might act as a censor — and not a skillful one, either, being an engineer-led company with little experience making complex media ethics decisions.
Tuesday, December 13, 2016
should you buy refurbished electronics?
If you’re looking to save money on electronics, it is smart to consider a device that has been used—or at least opened—in exchange for a significant discount. Many manufacturers and retailers offer refurbished laptops, smartphones, and other electronics that have been returned, then repaired until they’re just like new, and finally put back on sale for less than list price.
Only a small number of refurbs—about 5 percent, according to a 2011 surveyby technology consulting firm Accenture—are defective. Some haven't even been touched by the original owner; they might have been returned because a delivery guy nicked the box during shipping.
In other cases, when there is a true defect, a retailer such as Best Buy sends the item to an authorized repair center or the manufacturer for inspection, repair, and repackaging. And, of course, repricing.
For a consumer, the savings can be substantial. At Best Buy, for example, you can purchase a refurbished Xbox One console for $180, a substantial discount on the original price of $299.
Kyle Wiens, CEO of tech repair site iFixit, thinks buying refurbished can be smart, even if you don't care about getting a deal. “Every computer I've ever bought has been a refurb,” he says.
He explains that refurbished electronics get a once-over from a technician, which doesn't happen with most new products, so they might be more reliable. Refurbs are also environmentally friendly—it's far less wasteful to repair and repackage an existing product than to manufacture a new one. “People have this fixation with new, and I don’t understand it,” Wiens says. “It’s a good buy. It’s better for everybody.”
Monday, December 12, 2016
Disney shuts down VidAngel
Walt Disney Co. won a court order shutting down a Utah-based video-streaming business that lets subscribers pay $1 to watch Hollywood movies stripped of nudity, violence and profanity.
A federal judge on Monday granted Disney’s request to halt VidAngel Inc.’s services while a lawsuit continues over whether the company’s business model is, as Disney alleges, an “end run” around copyright protections.
U.S. District Judge Andre Birotte Jr. in Los Angeles said in his order granting a preliminary injunction that Disney and two other movie studios have shown they’re likely to win on the merits of their claims and that they will be irreparably harmed if VidAngel is allowed to continue infringing their rights while the lawsuit is being decided.
“Hollywood studios have followed a repeated pattern in their decades-long campaign to put movie filtering services out of business by seeking a shut-down decision in trial court,” VidAngel Chief Executive Officer Neal Harmon said in an e-mailed statement. “We will aggressively pursue an appeal and take this case to a higher level where we have always believed we will ultimately prevail.”
Disney claims VidAngel operates as an unlicensed video-on-demand service. The company buys DVD and Blue-ray disc copies of newly released titles which it purports to sell to its customers, according to Disney. But instead of shipping the physical discs, VidAngel “rips” one disc to create a master-copy that can be filtered according to a customer’s preferences and streamed to their home, according to Disney. The customer can then “sell” the movie back after watching it.
This system allowed VidAngel to offer the latest Star Wars movie for $1 a day before it was available from licensed video-on-demand services, Disney said in its complaint filed June 9 along with Warner Bros Entertainment Inc. and Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp. VidAngel subscribers can watch movies with only minimal filtering if they choose to, the studios claim.
“VidAngel flaunts its interference with exclusive windows as a competitive advantage over authorized services by expressly promoting titles that are available on VidAngel but ‘NOT on Netflix,’" Disney said. "VidAngel’s unrestrained conduct thus threatens the legitimate online distribution market."
VidAngel contends its business model is legal under the Family Movie Act, a 2005 law that authorizes for-profit companies to stream lawfully obtained movies for home viewing with objectionable content filtered out. Disney and the other major studios opposed this law that was directly intended to prevent studios from using litigation to block parental filtering they disliked, according to VidAngel.
Wednesday, December 07, 2016
testing internet speed
[2/10/17] A comment in this article, mentions testmy.net which is purportedly more accurrate than speedtest.net.
I'm testing on the Steven's Vista's laptop with FireFox while CNBC is playing live on my ipad. testmy.net tests download speed as 2.4, 2.5, 2.1. Speedtest.net got 2.65, 2.58, 2.58. That's pretty slow. Usually I get around 4.
OK, let's pause the CNBC video feed. testmy.net now gets 2.3, 1.5, 2.2. This time I ran the download and upload test. So just as bad or worse. Back to speedtest.net. 3.25, 3.09, 3.16. So speedtest a little faster. Which might be expected since speedtest is testing to a Oahu server, while testmy.net is using a server in Texas (Dallas is the one I notice now).
It could be that my internet is just slow today. I've been noticing lately that my landline phone has some noise on it. Let me unplug the modem and plug it back in. The phone line seems clear when I pick up and listen to the phone now (though I'm not talking to anyone).
OK, retest. No connection. What? Unplug and replug in. Try again.
Speedtest now gets: 3.63, 4.21, 4.17. That's more like it. testmy.net gets: 4.3, 4.1, 4.1. OK, I'm happy.
OK, now play CNBC live. testmy.net got: 0.7, 2.1, 0.2. And in the meantime, the CNBC video got stuck trying to load. Not happy.
Maybe it's temporary. I'll try again later.
OK, now playing Legends of Tomorrow on the CW app instead.
testmy.net got: 3.3, 3.3, 2.9. Pause Legends of Tomorrow. 3.2, 4, 3.6. speedtest: 4.09, 4.18, 4.11. That's about as good as I get on speedtest. Don't know why testmy.net is slower. Try again.2.9, 4.1, 4.0.
Resume Legends of Tomorrow. 4.1, 3.2, 4.0.
I dunno. Whatever. Good enough for my streaming.
[12/7/16] I've been using speedtest.net and Speakeasy to test my internet speed. But last night when I did a search for speed test, I see that google now has their own speed test. Not only does it test download and upload speed, it tests latency as well.
On my home dsl, I'm getting 3.84 mbps, 0.40 mbps, 174 ms; 4.10, 0.40, 358; 3.73, 0.38, 195 from a server in the San Francisco Bay area. (I'm supposed to be getting "up to" 7 mbps.)
There's also pingtest.net from the speedtest.net folks. It measures the quality of your connection giving measures of packet loss, ping, jitter. It uses flash and java, so I run it on firefox rather than chrome. I'm getting 3%, 34 ms, 4 ms / 8%, 34 ms, 3 ms / 3%, 38 ms, 9 ms. So the results vary (except for ping) when running tests back to back.
[7/12/08] I found out from Lori that the price for hawaiiantel DSL dropped for new customers and I called to see if I could get that price (and did!) Also noted that they are offering 3 Mbps speed for the low-end customers and I was getting sub 1.5. I called tech support they (re)set it up for me. I'm now up to 2.64 Mbps on the hawaiiantel speedtest!
[4/7/07 frwr-news] Another one is Speakeasy Speed Test which enables testing from a number of servers around the country (requires Macromedia Flash)
[4/4/07 frwr-news] Here's a test from the UK
[8/15/05] I have been using the McAfee speedometer for a while. I used to get like 1.2 or 1.3 mbps on my DSL, but lately I've been getting more like 500 kbps (for the times it works after my DSL went flakey).
While in the process of troubleshooting my DSL problems, the verizon tech told me to try two other sites. InfoSpeed and Midco. They both seem to give around 1.1 to 1.2 mbps (for the times when my DSL was working today) which is about what McAfee was giving me. Hey I'd even take 500 Kbps if they can keep my DSL working.
I'm testing on the Steven's Vista's laptop with FireFox while CNBC is playing live on my ipad. testmy.net tests download speed as 2.4, 2.5, 2.1. Speedtest.net got 2.65, 2.58, 2.58. That's pretty slow. Usually I get around 4.
OK, let's pause the CNBC video feed. testmy.net now gets 2.3, 1.5, 2.2. This time I ran the download and upload test. So just as bad or worse. Back to speedtest.net. 3.25, 3.09, 3.16. So speedtest a little faster. Which might be expected since speedtest is testing to a Oahu server, while testmy.net is using a server in Texas (Dallas is the one I notice now).
It could be that my internet is just slow today. I've been noticing lately that my landline phone has some noise on it. Let me unplug the modem and plug it back in. The phone line seems clear when I pick up and listen to the phone now (though I'm not talking to anyone).
OK, retest. No connection. What? Unplug and replug in. Try again.
Speedtest now gets: 3.63, 4.21, 4.17. That's more like it. testmy.net gets: 4.3, 4.1, 4.1. OK, I'm happy.
OK, now play CNBC live. testmy.net got: 0.7, 2.1, 0.2. And in the meantime, the CNBC video got stuck trying to load. Not happy.
Maybe it's temporary. I'll try again later.
OK, now playing Legends of Tomorrow on the CW app instead.
testmy.net got: 3.3, 3.3, 2.9. Pause Legends of Tomorrow. 3.2, 4, 3.6. speedtest: 4.09, 4.18, 4.11. That's about as good as I get on speedtest. Don't know why testmy.net is slower. Try again.2.9, 4.1, 4.0.
Resume Legends of Tomorrow. 4.1, 3.2, 4.0.
I dunno. Whatever. Good enough for my streaming.
[12/7/16] I've been using speedtest.net and Speakeasy to test my internet speed. But last night when I did a search for speed test, I see that google now has their own speed test. Not only does it test download and upload speed, it tests latency as well.
On my home dsl, I'm getting 3.84 mbps, 0.40 mbps, 174 ms; 4.10, 0.40, 358; 3.73, 0.38, 195 from a server in the San Francisco Bay area. (I'm supposed to be getting "up to" 7 mbps.)
There's also pingtest.net from the speedtest.net folks. It measures the quality of your connection giving measures of packet loss, ping, jitter. It uses flash and java, so I run it on firefox rather than chrome. I'm getting 3%, 34 ms, 4 ms / 8%, 34 ms, 3 ms / 3%, 38 ms, 9 ms. So the results vary (except for ping) when running tests back to back.
[7/12/08] I found out from Lori that the price for hawaiiantel DSL dropped for new customers and I called to see if I could get that price (and did!) Also noted that they are offering 3 Mbps speed for the low-end customers and I was getting sub 1.5. I called tech support they (re)set it up for me. I'm now up to 2.64 Mbps on the hawaiiantel speedtest!
[4/7/07 frwr-news] Another one is Speakeasy Speed Test which enables testing from a number of servers around the country (requires Macromedia Flash)
[4/4/07 frwr-news] Here's a test from the UK
[8/15/05] I have been using the McAfee speedometer for a while. I used to get like 1.2 or 1.3 mbps on my DSL, but lately I've been getting more like 500 kbps (for the times it works after my DSL went flakey).
While in the process of troubleshooting my DSL problems, the verizon tech told me to try two other sites. InfoSpeed and Midco. They both seem to give around 1.1 to 1.2 mbps (for the times when my DSL was working today) which is about what McAfee was giving me. Hey I'd even take 500 Kbps if they can keep my DSL working.
Monday, December 05, 2016
no bag boys?
Amazon.com on Monday said that it will open a bricks-and-mortar grocery store called Amazon Go,
an ambitious bid by the once-online-only retailer to gobble up more of
Americans’ shopping dollars by taking the fight more directly to
traditional supermarkets and big-box stores.
The store will be powered by a web of technology that allows customers to fill their shopping bags and walk out without going through a checkout process, a concept that has long been discussed in the retail industry but that has not been implemented at major U.S. stores. The idea is that it will shave time off the shopping experience. (Jeffrey P. Bezos, the chief executive of Amazon, owns The Washington Post.)
Here’s how Amazon Go will work: Customers download an app and then swipe their smartphones as they walk through the store’s entrance. Then they start picking up groceries. In a process that the company does not describe except to say that it involves computer vision, machine learning and artificial intelligence, every item the shoppers tuck into their bags or carts is tracked on the phone. If an item is put back on the shelf, it’s deleted. As shoppers exit, their bill is calculated, a digital receipt appears on their phones, and their Amazon account is charged.
The store will be powered by a web of technology that allows customers to fill their shopping bags and walk out without going through a checkout process, a concept that has long been discussed in the retail industry but that has not been implemented at major U.S. stores. The idea is that it will shave time off the shopping experience. (Jeffrey P. Bezos, the chief executive of Amazon, owns The Washington Post.)
Here’s how Amazon Go will work: Customers download an app and then swipe their smartphones as they walk through the store’s entrance. Then they start picking up groceries. In a process that the company does not describe except to say that it involves computer vision, machine learning and artificial intelligence, every item the shoppers tuck into their bags or carts is tracked on the phone. If an item is put back on the shelf, it’s deleted. As shoppers exit, their bill is calculated, a digital receipt appears on their phones, and their Amazon account is charged.
Saturday, December 03, 2016
Siri not talking?
I enabled Alexa on my Fire Tablet. (I guess. I entered the app and followed the prompts.) But how to use it? Ah, you have to press down the home button.
Hey, let me try Siri on my ipad. Haven't really used it all this time. How do you activate it? Ah, you have to press down the home button.
But Siri wasn't speaking to me. Only displaying text. I didn't see any easy answers by googling. But I finally figured it out. It's the settings in voice feedback.
Go to settings. General. Siri. Voice Feedback. Set it to Always On. It had been on Hands-Free Only.
(Actually, it was the number 1 answer here.)
Hey, let me try Siri on my ipad. Haven't really used it all this time. How do you activate it? Ah, you have to press down the home button.
But Siri wasn't speaking to me. Only displaying text. I didn't see any easy answers by googling. But I finally figured it out. It's the settings in voice feedback.
Go to settings. General. Siri. Voice Feedback. Set it to Always On. It had been on Hands-Free Only.
(Actually, it was the number 1 answer here.)
streaming the NFL
[12/1/16] CBS ALL Access adds NFL games, except on phone. So you can now watch all NFL games on streaming devices (including tablets but not phones), but you will need a subscription to CBS Access (assuming you live in an area where they telecast your local station live) as well as a subscription to cable or satellite (or Sling TV or Playstation Vue or DirecTV Live if you happen to live in an area where they carry live local channels. Playstation Vue also carries CBS (live only, but not On Demand) as well as Fox and NBC in a few areas. So in these areas, you wouldn't even need CBS All Access).
Or, of course, you can try an antenna for the CBS, Fox, and NBC games to watch on your TV.
[9/25/16] Interesting. Switched to my Apple TV and I see the Sunday game on their NBC Sports app. Checking the website, now I see the game. Checking my iPad, it's now on there too. I guess they just were slow putting it up.
Now trying out NFL Redzone on the Apple TV. Pretty neat. They switch from game to game when there's something interesting to watch (like when a team gets into the red zone). I wonder if they will carry the Sunday Night game? I wouldn't think so. Stay tuned.
Nope. No coverage of the Sunday Night (afternoon where I am), but they end the telecast with every touchdown made on the day. Pretty cool. OK, time to tune in to NBC.
[9/24/16] Don't see this Sunday's NFL game on the NBC Sports app. Not on my Fire TV, Roku, iPad, or even on the website. Maybe they don't carry anymore. I guess Fox and ESPN must have paid the NFL extra, because they carry it but not CBS and now apparently not NBC.
[9/12/16] CBS to stream NFL games this season. But you have be a Comcast Optimum subscriber. I checked the CBS Sports website and tried to log in to watch the CBS Sports Network live. There were three options available: Cox, Frontier, Optimum. So I assume those will be the three options to watch the NFL games on CBS.
Disappointly still not available for CBS All Access. Apparently discussions fell through.
Besides CBS, you can watch every other NFL game live on a streaming device (Roku, Apple TV, or Amazon Fire TV) -- if you have a cable subscription (Time Warner Cable or HawaiianTelcom anyway).
[But if you have cable subscription, why watch on a streaming device? Well for one thing, you might not have a cable box hooked up to every TV in your house. And of course, if you're watching on your phone or tablet, you can watch anywhere you have internet access.]
The Fox Sports app (not available on Apple TV 3) will show the Fox games (Sunday afternoon games).
The NBC Sports app (available on all three devices) will carry Sunday Night Football and some of the Thursday Night games.
WatchESPN (all devices) will cover Monday Night Football.
The NFL app (currently available only on Apple TV, Roku channel disappointingly not yet updated for this season, not available on Fire TV) will carry the Thursday Night games on the NFL Network (I assume).
***
So which device to use? In the pre-season, I was using the Apple TV to watch the NFL Network. Plus the CBS Sports app on the Apple TV has better fantasy football coverage than the app on the other devices (for some odd reason). However now that the season has started, I'm switching between devices since my Apple TV (3rd generation) doesn't have Fox Sports. I might switch to the Roku more when the NFL app gets updated for this season.
***
One more option. NFL Sunday Ticket. [not available in my area because I am able to get DirectTV.]
Or, of course, you can try an antenna for the CBS, Fox, and NBC games to watch on your TV.
[9/25/16] Interesting. Switched to my Apple TV and I see the Sunday game on their NBC Sports app. Checking the website, now I see the game. Checking my iPad, it's now on there too. I guess they just were slow putting it up.
Now trying out NFL Redzone on the Apple TV. Pretty neat. They switch from game to game when there's something interesting to watch (like when a team gets into the red zone). I wonder if they will carry the Sunday Night game? I wouldn't think so. Stay tuned.
Nope. No coverage of the Sunday Night (afternoon where I am), but they end the telecast with every touchdown made on the day. Pretty cool. OK, time to tune in to NBC.
[9/24/16] Don't see this Sunday's NFL game on the NBC Sports app. Not on my Fire TV, Roku, iPad, or even on the website. Maybe they don't carry anymore. I guess Fox and ESPN must have paid the NFL extra, because they carry it but not CBS and now apparently not NBC.
[9/12/16] CBS to stream NFL games this season. But you have be a Comcast Optimum subscriber. I checked the CBS Sports website and tried to log in to watch the CBS Sports Network live. There were three options available: Cox, Frontier, Optimum. So I assume those will be the three options to watch the NFL games on CBS.
Disappointly still not available for CBS All Access. Apparently discussions fell through.
Besides CBS, you can watch every other NFL game live on a streaming device (Roku, Apple TV, or Amazon Fire TV) -- if you have a cable subscription (Time Warner Cable or HawaiianTelcom anyway).
[But if you have cable subscription, why watch on a streaming device? Well for one thing, you might not have a cable box hooked up to every TV in your house. And of course, if you're watching on your phone or tablet, you can watch anywhere you have internet access.]
The Fox Sports app (not available on Apple TV 3) will show the Fox games (Sunday afternoon games).
The NBC Sports app (available on all three devices) will carry Sunday Night Football and some of the Thursday Night games.
The NFL app (currently available only on Apple TV, Roku channel disappointingly not yet updated for this season, not available on Fire TV) will carry the Thursday Night games on the NFL Network (I assume).
***
So which device to use? In the pre-season, I was using the Apple TV to watch the NFL Network. Plus the CBS Sports app on the Apple TV has better fantasy football coverage than the app on the other devices (for some odd reason). However now that the season has started, I'm switching between devices since my Apple TV (3rd generation) doesn't have Fox Sports. I might switch to the Roku more when the NFL app gets updated for this season.
***
One more option. NFL Sunday Ticket. [not available in my area because I am able to get DirectTV.]
Friday, December 02, 2016
DirecTV Now
[5/25/17] AT&T Inc.’s live online video service, DirecTV Now, has seen its growth stall in recent months, according to people familiar with the matter, raising questions about consumer demand for the growing number of new web-TV services entering the market.
By the end of January, two months after its debut, the cable-like TV service had surged to about 328,000 subscribers, according to people familiar with the matter. Yet DirecTV Now lost 3,000 customers in February, and its subscriber growth was roughly flat in March, the people said.
At a recent investor conference, AT&T Chief Executive Officer Randall Stephenson said DirecTV Now initially “caught fire” after the launch, adding about 200,000 subscribers in December. That was “much faster than we were wanting to go,” Stephenson said at a JPMorgan Chase & Co. investor conference this week. “And so, we’ve kind of pulled back.”
*** [12/2/16]
AT&T is the latest company to offer a new alternative TV package that streams live broadcasts over the internet -- it's called DirecTV Now and for a limited time, customers can sign up for a promotional deal that offers more than 100 channels for $35 a month.
The service, which launches in the US on November 30, competes directly with Sling TV (from rival satellite company Dish) and Sony's PlayStation Vue, both of which offer similar streaming video packages. They're expected to be joined in 2017 by offerings from Hulu and Google's YouTube.
There's no word yet on how long DirecTV Now's $35 pricing deal will last, but standard pricing is broken down into four tiers:
Customers can get an Apple TV included with 3 months pre-paid of any DIRECTV NOW package. Apple TV features high-performance hardware and an intuitive and fun user interface using voice and the Siri Remote. For details, visit www.directvnow.com/appletv.
Customers can opt for an Amazon Fire TV Stick with Alexa Voice Remote included with 1 month pre-paid of any DIRECTV NOW package. For details, visit www.directvnow.com/FireStick.
By the end of January, two months after its debut, the cable-like TV service had surged to about 328,000 subscribers, according to people familiar with the matter. Yet DirecTV Now lost 3,000 customers in February, and its subscriber growth was roughly flat in March, the people said.
At a recent investor conference, AT&T Chief Executive Officer Randall Stephenson said DirecTV Now initially “caught fire” after the launch, adding about 200,000 subscribers in December. That was “much faster than we were wanting to go,” Stephenson said at a JPMorgan Chase & Co. investor conference this week. “And so, we’ve kind of pulled back.”
*** [12/2/16]
AT&T is the latest company to offer a new alternative TV package that streams live broadcasts over the internet -- it's called DirecTV Now and for a limited time, customers can sign up for a promotional deal that offers more than 100 channels for $35 a month.
The service, which launches in the US on November 30, competes directly with Sling TV (from rival satellite company Dish) and Sony's PlayStation Vue, both of which offer similar streaming video packages. They're expected to be joined in 2017 by offerings from Hulu and Google's YouTube.
There's no word yet on how long DirecTV Now's $35 pricing deal will last, but standard pricing is broken down into four tiers:
- Live a Little: 60-plus channels for $35 per month
- Just Right: 80-plus channels for $50 per month
- Go Big: 100-plus channels for $60 per month (currently available for $35)
- Gotta Have It: 120-plus channels for $70 per month
- Subscribers can also add HBO or Cinemax to their account for an extra $5 per month, which is $10 less than the cost for HBO Now.
Like its competitors, DirecTV Now is an app that works on many existing
platforms. At launch, that includes Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV devices,
Android phones, iPhones and iPads, Vizio and LeEco smart TVs and PCs
and Macs with standard Web browsers. Support for Roku streamers and
Amazon Fire tablets is said to be coming in early 2017.
Unlike standard cable or satellite plans, there's no annual contract or
additional hardware needed (beyond one of the devices listed above). Of
course, you'll need a good broadband plan that can support HD video
streaming. (For AT&T users, DirecTV Now streaming won't count
against any data caps.)
Customers can get an Apple TV included with 3 months pre-paid of any DIRECTV NOW package. Apple TV features high-performance hardware and an intuitive and fun user interface using voice and the Siri Remote. For details, visit www.directvnow.com/appletv.
Customers can opt for an Amazon Fire TV Stick with Alexa Voice Remote included with 1 month pre-paid of any DIRECTV NOW package. For details, visit www.directvnow.com/FireStick.
For your convenience, we've created this chart that compares channel lineups for DirecTV Now, Sling TV and PlayStation Vue. It's arranged in
alphabetical order by channel name and lists availability according to
package tier.
***
DirecTV Now will launch on Nov. 30 with four tiers service with the lowest at $35 per month for 60-plus channels. There will be a limited time $35 introductory lifetime price for the $60 package with over 100 channels which could entice early adopters. While AT&T management had previously teased a 100-plus channel package for under $40 per month, such pricing is only for a limited time while permanent pricing is in line with the current offerings from Sony’s PlayStation Vue and Dish’s Sling services.
However, we still see several flaws with DirecTV Now. First, the service is still in negotiations with CBS, whereas Vue includes CBS On-Demand and local channel in select markets. Second, DirecTV Now currently lacks a cloud DVR option and only offers a limited ability to pause live TV, which we view as major deficiencies versus the more mature Vue service.
***
DirecTV Now will launch on Nov. 30 with four tiers service with the lowest at $35 per month for 60-plus channels. There will be a limited time $35 introductory lifetime price for the $60 package with over 100 channels which could entice early adopters. While AT&T management had previously teased a 100-plus channel package for under $40 per month, such pricing is only for a limited time while permanent pricing is in line with the current offerings from Sony’s PlayStation Vue and Dish’s Sling services.
However, we still see several flaws with DirecTV Now. First, the service is still in negotiations with CBS, whereas Vue includes CBS On-Demand and local channel in select markets. Second, DirecTV Now currently lacks a cloud DVR option and only offers a limited ability to pause live TV, which we view as major deficiencies versus the more mature Vue service.
Wednesday, November 30, 2016
downloads come to Netflix
Netflix will allow customers to download some shows and movies to
their devices for offline viewing, fulfilling a long-standing request
from users for easier access to their favorite video content.
The streaming-video provider said Wednesday that hit shows such as “Orange Is the New Black,” “Narcos” and “The Crown” will be among the first series that customers can download. The feature is available now as an update to the Netflix app on phones and tablets powered by Android and iOS, the company said.
Only some types of content will support downloads at first, but more will be added in the future. And all Netflix users worldwide can take advantage of the new capability, regardless of what plan they have.
***
Hey, you can download The Flash, Arrow, and Supergirl!
The streaming-video provider said Wednesday that hit shows such as “Orange Is the New Black,” “Narcos” and “The Crown” will be among the first series that customers can download. The feature is available now as an update to the Netflix app on phones and tablets powered by Android and iOS, the company said.
Only some types of content will support downloads at first, but more will be added in the future. And all Netflix users worldwide can take advantage of the new capability, regardless of what plan they have.
***
Hey, you can download The Flash, Arrow, and Supergirl!
Monday, November 21, 2016
dementia on the decline
A
new study finds that the prevalence of dementia has fallen sharply in
recent years, most likely as a result of Americans' rising educational
levels and better heart health, which are both closely related to brain
health.
Dementia rates in
people over age 65 fell from 11.6 percent in 2000 to 8.8 percent in
2012, a decline of 24 percent, according to a study of more than 21,000
people across the country published Monday in JAMA Internal Medicine.
"It's
definitely good news," said Dr. Kenneth Langa, a professor of internal
medicine at the University of Michigan and a coauthor of the new study.
"Even without a cure for Alzheimer's disease or a new medication, there
are things that we can do socially and medically and behaviorally that
can significantly reduce the risk."
While advocates for people with dementia welcomed the news, they noted
that Alzheimer's disease and other forms of memory loss remain a serious
burden for the nation and the world. Up to five million Americans
today suffer from dementia, a number that is expected to triple by 2050,
as people live longer and the elderly population increases.
Although researchers can't definitively explain why dementia rates are
decreasing, Langa said doctors may be doing a better job controlling
high blood pressure and diabetes, which can both boost the risk of
age-related memory problems. High blood pressure and diabetes both
increase the risk of strokes, which kill brain cells, increasing the
risk of vascular dementia.
"We've been saying now for several years that what's good for your heart
is good for your head," Fargo said. "There are several things you can
do to reduce your risk for dementia."
Authors of the study found that senior
citizens today are better educated than even half a generation ago. The
population studied in 2012 stayed in school 13 years, while the seniors
studied in 2000 had about 12 years of education, according to the study.
That's
significant, because many studies have found a strong link between
higher educational levels and lower risk of disease, including dementia,
Lang said. The reasons are likely to be complex. People with more
education tend to earn more money and have better access to health care.
They're less likely to smoke, more likely to exercise and less likely
to be overweight. People with more education also may live in safer
neighborhoods and have less stress.
People
who are better educated may have more intellectually stimulating jobs
and hobbies that help exercise their brains, Lang said.
Saturday, November 12, 2016
TWC TV
[11/22/16] KGMB is now showing KGMB (CBS). Although when I first accessed the app today, it showed the major network channels missing. Fox, ABC, CBS, NBC were missing, but KFVE, KHET, CW were there.
[11/15/16] OK, now I see CW is on. It's on channel 1093. But oddly KGMB (channel 7, 87, 1007) is showing NBCSN instead. Same on my iPad. Meanwhile NBCSN (1210) is erroring out. OK, a work in progress. And now I see ESPN2 is on Channel 1224 (and 224).
[11/12/16] Checking out the TWC TV app on my mom's Roku TV in Aiea. Since they have both TV and internet service from Oceanic, they had a lot of channels available on the app. But notably they lacked the local network channels as well as OCSports and OC16.
But today I notice Oceanic has expanded the channels carried. They now carry the local network channels live (KHON, KFVE, KITV, KGMB, KHNL, KHET) as well as OCSports and OC16. The notable omissions are The CW and ESPN2. They do have the NFL Network, but not NFL Redzone. However I can catch those channels on the separate Roku apps (though admittedly NFL not supported by Time Warner Cable last I checked). They even have KBFD, KIKU, KWHE, MeTV (126) and Antenna TV (541).
Anyway, with the addition of these channels, this pretty much takes away my desire of hooking up direct cable or an antenna to her Roku TV.
I'm noticing the "reception" of the local (and other) channels isn't always that great. Sometimes I can't catch the channels or the channel "dies" or the video is grainy. But it usually works.
[7/20/12] signed up for twctv. supposedly you can watch TV on your computer or ipad or whatever device.
Pretty neat. I can get the guide and change the channel from my computer. But live TV isn't working. I wonder if it'll work in the morning. Or if that feature isn't implemented yet?
... looking ... apparently for live TV to work you have to have Time Warner cable for both TV and internet. And you must be connected to your home internet. Since, I'm on Oceanic cable and not hawaiiantelnet dsl, apparently I'm out of luck. Would have been neat to be able to watch my TV over any internet connection. But I guess not.
Mysti Amber writes: Tells me I cannot watch because I am not connected to my network. So how do i connect my box to my wireless network.. The Timewarner rep said I need Time warner internet. Seriously? I am not going to buy their internet just so I can watch tv on my laptop and I can only watch it AT HOME? Are you serious? I was going to figure out how to get it going but if I can't watch it when I am away from home then why bother. I can just go sit in front of the tv. FAIL
I see it states that you can "watch live programming on your computer within your own home". In other words, not outside your home.
I guess On Demand is theoretically better than just mindless watching whatever happens to be on live anyway..
***
[1/9/12] Now I see that TWC is coming to Roku. Apparently it'll be the same deal. It looks to me that you'll have to be a subscriber both to Time Warner cable and Time Warner Road Runner. And be connected to your own Road Runner service. So won't do me any good.
[6/13/15] TWC is much better on the iPad. You can watch a number of live channels, On Demand shows and movies. And you don't have to be on your Oceanic internet network, though you get access to fewer channels if you are not.
[11/15/16] OK, now I see CW is on. It's on channel 1093. But oddly KGMB (channel 7, 87, 1007) is showing NBCSN instead. Same on my iPad. Meanwhile NBCSN (1210) is erroring out. OK, a work in progress. And now I see ESPN2 is on Channel 1224 (and 224).
[11/12/16] Checking out the TWC TV app on my mom's Roku TV in Aiea. Since they have both TV and internet service from Oceanic, they had a lot of channels available on the app. But notably they lacked the local network channels as well as OCSports and OC16.
But today I notice Oceanic has expanded the channels carried. They now carry the local network channels live (KHON, KFVE, KITV, KGMB, KHNL, KHET) as well as OCSports and OC16. The notable omissions are The CW and ESPN2. They do have the NFL Network, but not NFL Redzone. However I can catch those channels on the separate Roku apps (though admittedly NFL not supported by Time Warner Cable last I checked). They even have KBFD, KIKU, KWHE, MeTV (126) and Antenna TV (541).
Anyway, with the addition of these channels, this pretty much takes away my desire of hooking up direct cable or an antenna to her Roku TV.
I'm noticing the "reception" of the local (and other) channels isn't always that great. Sometimes I can't catch the channels or the channel "dies" or the video is grainy. But it usually works.
[7/20/12] signed up for twctv. supposedly you can watch TV on your computer or ipad or whatever device.
Pretty neat. I can get the guide and change the channel from my computer. But live TV isn't working. I wonder if it'll work in the morning. Or if that feature isn't implemented yet?
... looking ... apparently for live TV to work you have to have Time Warner cable for both TV and internet. And you must be connected to your home internet. Since, I'm on Oceanic cable and not hawaiiantelnet dsl, apparently I'm out of luck. Would have been neat to be able to watch my TV over any internet connection. But I guess not.
Mysti Amber writes: Tells me I cannot watch because I am not connected to my network. So how do i connect my box to my wireless network.. The Timewarner rep said I need Time warner internet. Seriously? I am not going to buy their internet just so I can watch tv on my laptop and I can only watch it AT HOME? Are you serious? I was going to figure out how to get it going but if I can't watch it when I am away from home then why bother. I can just go sit in front of the tv. FAIL
I see it states that you can "watch live programming on your computer within your own home". In other words, not outside your home.
I guess On Demand is theoretically better than just mindless watching whatever happens to be on live anyway..
***
[1/9/12] Now I see that TWC is coming to Roku. Apparently it'll be the same deal. It looks to me that you'll have to be a subscriber both to Time Warner cable and Time Warner Road Runner. And be connected to your own Road Runner service. So won't do me any good.
[6/13/15] TWC is much better on the iPad. You can watch a number of live channels, On Demand shows and movies. And you don't have to be on your Oceanic internet network, though you get access to fewer channels if you are not.
Wednesday, November 02, 2016
Prime Reading
A new feature for Amazon Prime members (noticed from this article). Look it up.
This service is accessible on all devices running the Kindle app,
rendering it distinct from the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library, which
offers Kindle and Fire owners one free e-book rental per month. Prime
members will still have access to Kindle First, the program offering
members one free new-release prior to its publication date.
While a useful addition, the new perk likely won't bring in droves of new members the same way as other popular services, such as Prime's unlimited, two-day shipping or the Prime Day shopping holiday.
However, all the additional reading sparked by Prime Reading could help drive more sales of e-books, a market Amazon helped birth and still dominates. Also, Prime Reading may serve as a gateway to get more of Amazon's loyalest customers to sign up for Kindle Unlimited, Amazon's $10 monthly reading service that includes over 1 million books and thousands of audiobooks. Using a similar tactic, Amazon last month introduced a slimmed-down, free-for-Prime version of its paid audiobook services called Audible Channels. A full Audible membership costs $14.95 a month.
In addition to Prime Reading, Amazon will continue to provide the Kindle Owners' Lending Library. That Prime service lets people borrow one e-book a month from a much wider selection of hundreds of thousands of titles. Unlike Prime Reading -- which can be used with Amazon, iOS and Android devices -- the lending library is only available on Kindle and Fire devices.
***
OK, let's try it out on my Fire Tablet.
Go to Books. Select Store. Select NEW! Prime Reading.
There are several categories.
New & Notable: 15 titles.
Current Magazines: "Every month we choose a selection of top magazines for you to borrow as part of your Prime membership." There's some good stuff here, such as Smithsonian Magazine, New York Magazine, Better Homes & Gardens, Slam, Money, House Beautiful, Real Simple, The Atlantic, Good Housekeeping, Woman's Day, The New Yorker. It remains to be seen how many of these will be offered next month. I chose to try Money Magazine, but found it a little hard to read on my tablet. My eyes ain't that good any more :(
Science Fiction & Fantasy: 96 titles including Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone.
Nonfiction: 432 titles, including The Millionaire Next Door and Life Hacks. I chose Habit Stacking. Do Less sounds interesting. Let's try that one too.
Mystery & Thriller: 173 titles.
Romance: 163 titles.
Comics & Graphic Novels: 21 titles. Including The Complete Peanuts Vol 1: 1950-1952, and 14 Years of Loyal Service in a Fabric-Covered Box: A Dilbert Book. OK let's try the Dilbert.
Business & Money: 15 titles. The Million Next Door and Habit Stacking are categories here.
Children's Books: 73 titles. Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone is listed here.
Teen & Young Adult: 55 titles.
Kindle Singles & Singles Classics: 23 titles. Alan Turing: Unlocking the Enigma might be interesting.
Interestingly, when you open up the book the first time, it doesn't start at the front cover. But rather at the introduction.
You can't zoom in when reading the books, so you're stuck with the font size. However, you can zoom when reading magazines. I guess it's big enough for me to read with my freebie reading glasses, but it's a little blurry.
Now that I'm looking at the Dilbert book, the strips appear tiny when they first appear. Tap on them and they become a little bigger. Double-tap on a strip and it appears on it's own screen. From there you can zoom in to read it.
Exit out and try to read another book. My tablet locked up with a black screen. :(
Power off. Turn back on. OK, seems to work now.
Starting this month, Amazon Prime memberships have a new feature: Prime Reading. Under this program, the $99 Prime subscription now includes free access to over one-thousand e-books, comics, and magazines. The content on offer will rotate, hopefully encouraging subscribers to read more and eventually purchase additional e-books.
While a useful addition, the new perk likely won't bring in droves of new members the same way as other popular services, such as Prime's unlimited, two-day shipping or the Prime Day shopping holiday.
However, all the additional reading sparked by Prime Reading could help drive more sales of e-books, a market Amazon helped birth and still dominates. Also, Prime Reading may serve as a gateway to get more of Amazon's loyalest customers to sign up for Kindle Unlimited, Amazon's $10 monthly reading service that includes over 1 million books and thousands of audiobooks. Using a similar tactic, Amazon last month introduced a slimmed-down, free-for-Prime version of its paid audiobook services called Audible Channels. A full Audible membership costs $14.95 a month.
In addition to Prime Reading, Amazon will continue to provide the Kindle Owners' Lending Library. That Prime service lets people borrow one e-book a month from a much wider selection of hundreds of thousands of titles. Unlike Prime Reading -- which can be used with Amazon, iOS and Android devices -- the lending library is only available on Kindle and Fire devices.
***
OK, let's try it out on my Fire Tablet.
Go to Books. Select Store. Select NEW! Prime Reading.
There are several categories.
New & Notable: 15 titles.
Current Magazines: "Every month we choose a selection of top magazines for you to borrow as part of your Prime membership." There's some good stuff here, such as Smithsonian Magazine, New York Magazine, Better Homes & Gardens, Slam, Money, House Beautiful, Real Simple, The Atlantic, Good Housekeeping, Woman's Day, The New Yorker. It remains to be seen how many of these will be offered next month. I chose to try Money Magazine, but found it a little hard to read on my tablet. My eyes ain't that good any more :(
Science Fiction & Fantasy: 96 titles including Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone.
Nonfiction: 432 titles, including The Millionaire Next Door and Life Hacks. I chose Habit Stacking. Do Less sounds interesting. Let's try that one too.
Mystery & Thriller: 173 titles.
Romance: 163 titles.
Comics & Graphic Novels: 21 titles. Including The Complete Peanuts Vol 1: 1950-1952, and 14 Years of Loyal Service in a Fabric-Covered Box: A Dilbert Book. OK let's try the Dilbert.
Business & Money: 15 titles. The Million Next Door and Habit Stacking are categories here.
Children's Books: 73 titles. Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone is listed here.
Teen & Young Adult: 55 titles.
Kindle Singles & Singles Classics: 23 titles. Alan Turing: Unlocking the Enigma might be interesting.
Interestingly, when you open up the book the first time, it doesn't start at the front cover. But rather at the introduction.
You can't zoom in when reading the books, so you're stuck with the font size. However, you can zoom when reading magazines. I guess it's big enough for me to read with my freebie reading glasses, but it's a little blurry.
Now that I'm looking at the Dilbert book, the strips appear tiny when they first appear. Tap on them and they become a little bigger. Double-tap on a strip and it appears on it's own screen. From there you can zoom in to read it.
Exit out and try to read another book. My tablet locked up with a black screen. :(
Power off. Turn back on. OK, seems to work now.
Tuesday, November 01, 2016
new Hulu streaming service
Video website Hulu on Tuesday announced deals to add programming from
Twenty-first Century Fox and Walt Disney Co to a streaming TV service
that it plans to offer in early 2017.
Disney and Fox, as well as Comcast Corp and Time Warner Inc, own stakes in Hulu.
Hulu's live and on-demand streaming video service will include Fox's entertainment, news, sports and non-fiction content, along with video from Disney's channels including ABC and ESPN, it said in a statement.
Time Warner said in August that it would pay $583 million to buy a 10 percent stake in Hulu and that its Turner networks, including TBS, Cartoon Network and Turner Classic Movies, would be available on the new service.
"With these two new deals in place, and additional partners to come, Hulu will soon give TV fans of all ages live and on-demand access to their favorite programs in a whole new, more flexible, highly personalized way," Hulu Chief Executive Officer Mike Hopkins said in the company's statement.
***
The new live TV streaming service, which will cost about $40 a month, resembles a (not so) skinny bundle. It offers consumers an alternative to cable with no set-up or installation and is seen by Hulu as a complement to its current ad-supported and ad-free subscription models.
Live TV, particularly sporting events, seems to be one of the most common reasons people stick with cable, which makes Hulu’s announcement–specifically its implications for ESPN and Fox Sports–all the more compelling to potential subscribers (and more expensive for Hulu).
Fox and Disney each own about 30% of Hulu, which partly explains the deal, as they are betting on the future of the platform, rather than traditional cable.
And for Hulu, these additions provide ammunition against competitors Netflix and Amazon, which may boast more original content, but have not yet entered the live-streaming space–yet.
***
Well, don't both Sling and Playstation Vue already offer ESPN and Fox sports? This doesn't sound that much different.
Disney and Fox, as well as Comcast Corp and Time Warner Inc, own stakes in Hulu.
Hulu's live and on-demand streaming video service will include Fox's entertainment, news, sports and non-fiction content, along with video from Disney's channels including ABC and ESPN, it said in a statement.
Time Warner said in August that it would pay $583 million to buy a 10 percent stake in Hulu and that its Turner networks, including TBS, Cartoon Network and Turner Classic Movies, would be available on the new service.
"With these two new deals in place, and additional partners to come, Hulu will soon give TV fans of all ages live and on-demand access to their favorite programs in a whole new, more flexible, highly personalized way," Hulu Chief Executive Officer Mike Hopkins said in the company's statement.
***
The new live TV streaming service, which will cost about $40 a month, resembles a (not so) skinny bundle. It offers consumers an alternative to cable with no set-up or installation and is seen by Hulu as a complement to its current ad-supported and ad-free subscription models.
Live TV, particularly sporting events, seems to be one of the most common reasons people stick with cable, which makes Hulu’s announcement–specifically its implications for ESPN and Fox Sports–all the more compelling to potential subscribers (and more expensive for Hulu).
Fox and Disney each own about 30% of Hulu, which partly explains the deal, as they are betting on the future of the platform, rather than traditional cable.
And for Hulu, these additions provide ammunition against competitors Netflix and Amazon, which may boast more original content, but have not yet entered the live-streaming space–yet.
***
Well, don't both Sling and Playstation Vue already offer ESPN and Fox sports? This doesn't sound that much different.
Firefox locking up? Try this.
Last week, I ran into a problem with Firefox locking up at a particular place on a particular website (if you must know, I was looking up MOAT on Morningstar.com). It worked OK on Chrome.
Went to task manager (I'm using Vista) and noticed the plug-in container running. I think when I end-tasked it, Firefox unlocked up. [Don't really remember, but I assume that's what I did.]
Looking up the problem, it appeared that the problem was Adobe Flash locking up.
So I checked the add-ons and decided to enable uBlock Origin. That seemed to help as the website didn't lock up any more, though uBlock doesn't really affect Flash. Whatever it worked.
And while I was at it, I decided to change Shockwave Flash from Always Activate to Ask to Activate.
And now Firefox has been running faster with less lockups.
There are sometimes though, when you might want to activate Flash. For example, some webpage display videos using Flash. If a webpage is trying to use Flash, there will be a prompt asking whether you want to allow the site to run Adobe Flash. You can either Continue Blocking or Allow. If you Allow, you can choose between Allow Now and Allow and Remember. I generally don't allow it unless I see a video that I might want to watch.
Went to task manager (I'm using Vista) and noticed the plug-in container running. I think when I end-tasked it, Firefox unlocked up. [Don't really remember, but I assume that's what I did.]
Looking up the problem, it appeared that the problem was Adobe Flash locking up.
So I checked the add-ons and decided to enable uBlock Origin. That seemed to help as the website didn't lock up any more, though uBlock doesn't really affect Flash. Whatever it worked.
And while I was at it, I decided to change Shockwave Flash from Always Activate to Ask to Activate.
And now Firefox has been running faster with less lockups.
There are sometimes though, when you might want to activate Flash. For example, some webpage display videos using Flash. If a webpage is trying to use Flash, there will be a prompt asking whether you want to allow the site to run Adobe Flash. You can either Continue Blocking or Allow. If you Allow, you can choose between Allow Now and Allow and Remember. I generally don't allow it unless I see a video that I might want to watch.
Thursday, October 27, 2016
wildlife population down by 58%
The number of wild animals living on Earth is set to fall by two-thirds by 2020, according to a new report, part of a mass extinction that is destroying the natural world upon which humanity depends.
The analysis, the most comprehensive to date, indicates that animal populations plummeted by 58% between 1970 and 2012, with losses on track to reach 67% by 2020. Researchers from WWF and the Zoological Society of London compiled the report from scientific data and found that the destruction of wild habitats, hunting and pollution were to blame.
The creatures being lost range from mountains to forests to rivers and the seas and include well-known endangered species such as elephants and gorillas and lesser known creatures such as vultures and salamanders.
The collapse of wildlife is, with climate change, the most striking sign of the Anthropocene, a proposed new geological era in which humans dominate the planet. “We are no longer a small world on a big planet. We are now a big world on a small planet, where we have reached a saturation point,” said Prof Johan Rockström, executive director of the Stockholm Resilience Centre, in a foreword for the report.
The biggest cause of tumbling animal numbers is the destruction of wild areas for farming and logging: the majority of the Earth’s land area has now been impacted by humans, with just 15% protected for nature. Poaching and exploitation for food is another major factor, due to unsustainable fishing and hunting: more than 300 mammal species are being eaten into extinction, according to recent research.
Pollution is also a significant problem with, for example, killer whales and dolphins in European seas being seriously harmed by long-lived industrial pollutants. Vultures in south-east Asia have been decimated over the last 20 years, dying after eating the carcasses of cattle dosed with an anti-inflammatory drug. Amphibians have suffered one of the greatest declines of all animals due to a fungal disease thought to be spread around the world by the trade in frogs and newts.
The analysis, the most comprehensive to date, indicates that animal populations plummeted by 58% between 1970 and 2012, with losses on track to reach 67% by 2020. Researchers from WWF and the Zoological Society of London compiled the report from scientific data and found that the destruction of wild habitats, hunting and pollution were to blame.
The creatures being lost range from mountains to forests to rivers and the seas and include well-known endangered species such as elephants and gorillas and lesser known creatures such as vultures and salamanders.
The collapse of wildlife is, with climate change, the most striking sign of the Anthropocene, a proposed new geological era in which humans dominate the planet. “We are no longer a small world on a big planet. We are now a big world on a small planet, where we have reached a saturation point,” said Prof Johan Rockström, executive director of the Stockholm Resilience Centre, in a foreword for the report.
The biggest cause of tumbling animal numbers is the destruction of wild areas for farming and logging: the majority of the Earth’s land area has now been impacted by humans, with just 15% protected for nature. Poaching and exploitation for food is another major factor, due to unsustainable fishing and hunting: more than 300 mammal species are being eaten into extinction, according to recent research.
Pollution is also a significant problem with, for example, killer whales and dolphins in European seas being seriously harmed by long-lived industrial pollutants. Vultures in south-east Asia have been decimated over the last 20 years, dying after eating the carcasses of cattle dosed with an anti-inflammatory drug. Amphibians have suffered one of the greatest declines of all animals due to a fungal disease thought to be spread around the world by the trade in frogs and newts.
Tuesday, October 25, 2016
NBA League Pass
This is another instance where the app on the Fire TV is inferior to the respective app on the Roku (and in this case the Apple TV). For the other instances, see The CW (10/1/16) and ESPN (10/22/16).
I heard that there's currently a freeview to NBA League Pass at the start of the season. So I signed on to nba.com and signed up for the free preview.
Then I logged into the NBA app on the Fire TV, waited for the Utah-Portland game to start (after the Knicks-Cavaliers game on TNT) and tried to watch. No video stream showed up and it said you can watch it on League Pass.
What gives? Maybe the free preview doesn't work on the streaming boxes?
So I switched to my Roku. Installed the NBA channel. Logged into my account. Accessed the game. You can choose either the home feed or the away feed. Both worked.
OK how about the Apple TV? Hooked up my Apple TV. Started up the NBA app. Didn't even have to log in, it remembered it from last season. Head to the game. Choose the video stream. And after a worrisome pause of nothing happening (I have only a 4 mbps DSL connection), the video stream of the game played.
So yep, I guess I'd have to blame the Fire TV app.
Strike three.
***
Decided to install it on my Fire tablet. Did it on the website, but after I started up the tablet, I didn't see the app.
Went to the app store. Searched for NBA. Is it NBA Game Time? Yep, that's the one because I see it downloading.
OK sign in. Try to access the Utah-Portland game (the only game currently playing on League Pass). Stream currently not available.
OK, maybe it's an Amazon problem, not necessarily just a Fire TV problem.
I'll check tomorrow when more games are on.
***
OK playing some more. It worked on the iPad mini. But then the Apple TV locked up. Then the iPad mini locked up. It worked again after restarting.
It's pretty neat when it works. Watching the Knicks-Nets preseason game. Was kind of unusual to see five white guys on the court for the Nets toward the end of the first quarter. And I noticed that Kurt Rambis shaves, so he doesn't look like Phil Jackson so much any more.
*** [10/26/16]
Saw that the app for the Fire tablet was updated, so tried again. Nope still didn't work.
Then saw this comment that uninstalling and reinstalling worked. So I uninstalled that app and reinstalled it.
Hey it works now.
Then I noticed the comment was actually for the app for Fire TV, not the Fire tablet. So even though the app said it hadn't been updated, I tried uninstalling and reinstalling.
And it worked.
I guess I'm happy. Or happier than before. But the app for the Fire TV is still inferior to its counterparts on the Roku and Apple TV because it doesn't support fast forward/rewind on archived games.
[10/27/16]
Experimenting further as the Wizards-Hawks game is on. The Roku app is not able to rewind the live game, but on the Apple TV, I can rewind to whenever I want. So I rank the Apple TV as the best app of the three.
... Later that day ...
More experimenting as the Clippers-Blazers game is now playing on TNT. Normally League Pass doesn't carry TNT games live, but interestingly the Roku app allowed me to view the game via the TNT Overtime feeds (with your choice of view). This is not supported on the Apple TV or Fire TV.
Then I tried to access the Spurs-Kings game which is now playing, but is blacked out in my area. I wasn't able to access it when I tried on the Roku or Fire TV, but when I tried to access the video feed on the Apple TV, I got the audio (radio) feed!
So the Roku actually has the most coverage as it covers TNT games. But the Apple TV has the advantage of rewinding live games and giving access to the radio feed for games blacked out in your area.
[11/1/16]
Noticed that the app was updated today. From the website:
What's new in version 2016.1.3
TNT Overtime: watch enhanced live coverage of NBA on TNT games for free
Navigation updates
Bug fixes and performance enhancements.
Navigation updates? Maybe FF/REW now work?
OK, hook up the Fire TV. Run the app. All games now say "this game has just ended / please check back later for game recap."
Uninstall, remove from cloud, reinstall.
OK, the app now works. FF/REW now work for archived games, but not for live games.
Will have to wait Thursday until I can test the TNT Overtime feature.
[11/3/16]
Yep, TNT Overtime works on the Fire TV. It's free. You don't have to be an NBA League Pass subscriber. In fact, it worked without me even being logged into my account. So this puts the app right up there with the Roku app.
However, I don't see the great attraction of the Overtime views if you're used to the view of the standard telecast. It's an interesting to watch for a while, but what I miss most is that none of the views display the score along with the feed. But I guess it's better than nothing if you don't have access to the regular TNT feed.
[12/28/16] Not really NBA League Pass entry, but it's an NBA entry so I'll put it here.
Noticed that the NBC Sports app on the Roku currently has three NBA games playing. Kings vs. Trail Blazers on CSN California, Raptors vs. Warriors on CSN Bay Area, and Nets vs. Bull on CSN Chicago. I want to see if I can catch any of them on the Hawaiian Telcom account.
OK, activated. Let's see if I get any results.
I guess not. There's a message saying: Restricted Content The current program is not available in your region due to local blackout restrictions. And now that I'm logged in, none of the games show up on the screen. Oh well, I tried..
Looking at the activation screen, it says "You have access to NBC Sports video from the following networks: NBCSN. CNBC, USA, Golf Channel, NBC. No Prime Ticket, which makes sense since Hawaiian Telcom doesn't carry Prime Ticket. Wait, never mind. Prime Ticket is a Fox channel.
Go home and try activate the Roku app with Oceanic. [what 52pickup not working? try Keith.] OK, logged in, but as expected no NBA.
I heard that there's currently a freeview to NBA League Pass at the start of the season. So I signed on to nba.com and signed up for the free preview.
Then I logged into the NBA app on the Fire TV, waited for the Utah-Portland game to start (after the Knicks-Cavaliers game on TNT) and tried to watch. No video stream showed up and it said you can watch it on League Pass.
What gives? Maybe the free preview doesn't work on the streaming boxes?
So I switched to my Roku. Installed the NBA channel. Logged into my account. Accessed the game. You can choose either the home feed or the away feed. Both worked.
OK how about the Apple TV? Hooked up my Apple TV. Started up the NBA app. Didn't even have to log in, it remembered it from last season. Head to the game. Choose the video stream. And after a worrisome pause of nothing happening (I have only a 4 mbps DSL connection), the video stream of the game played.
So yep, I guess I'd have to blame the Fire TV app.
Strike three.
***
Decided to install it on my Fire tablet. Did it on the website, but after I started up the tablet, I didn't see the app.
Went to the app store. Searched for NBA. Is it NBA Game Time? Yep, that's the one because I see it downloading.
OK sign in. Try to access the Utah-Portland game (the only game currently playing on League Pass). Stream currently not available.
OK, maybe it's an Amazon problem, not necessarily just a Fire TV problem.
I'll check tomorrow when more games are on.
***
OK playing some more. It worked on the iPad mini. But then the Apple TV locked up. Then the iPad mini locked up. It worked again after restarting.
It's pretty neat when it works. Watching the Knicks-Nets preseason game. Was kind of unusual to see five white guys on the court for the Nets toward the end of the first quarter. And I noticed that Kurt Rambis shaves, so he doesn't look like Phil Jackson so much any more.
*** [10/26/16]
Saw that the app for the Fire tablet was updated, so tried again. Nope still didn't work.
Then saw this comment that uninstalling and reinstalling worked. So I uninstalled that app and reinstalled it.
Hey it works now.
Then I noticed the comment was actually for the app for Fire TV, not the Fire tablet. So even though the app said it hadn't been updated, I tried uninstalling and reinstalling.
And it worked.
I guess I'm happy. Or happier than before. But the app for the Fire TV is still inferior to its counterparts on the Roku and Apple TV because it doesn't support fast forward/rewind on archived games.
[10/27/16]
Experimenting further as the Wizards-Hawks game is on. The Roku app is not able to rewind the live game, but on the Apple TV, I can rewind to whenever I want. So I rank the Apple TV as the best app of the three.
... Later that day ...
More experimenting as the Clippers-Blazers game is now playing on TNT. Normally League Pass doesn't carry TNT games live, but interestingly the Roku app allowed me to view the game via the TNT Overtime feeds (with your choice of view). This is not supported on the Apple TV or Fire TV.
Then I tried to access the Spurs-Kings game which is now playing, but is blacked out in my area. I wasn't able to access it when I tried on the Roku or Fire TV, but when I tried to access the video feed on the Apple TV, I got the audio (radio) feed!
So the Roku actually has the most coverage as it covers TNT games. But the Apple TV has the advantage of rewinding live games and giving access to the radio feed for games blacked out in your area.
[11/1/16]
Noticed that the app was updated today. From the website:
What's new in version 2016.1.3
TNT Overtime: watch enhanced live coverage of NBA on TNT games for free
Navigation updates
Bug fixes and performance enhancements.
Navigation updates? Maybe FF/REW now work?
OK, hook up the Fire TV. Run the app. All games now say "this game has just ended / please check back later for game recap."
Uninstall, remove from cloud, reinstall.
OK, the app now works. FF/REW now work for archived games, but not for live games.
Will have to wait Thursday until I can test the TNT Overtime feature.
[11/3/16]
Yep, TNT Overtime works on the Fire TV. It's free. You don't have to be an NBA League Pass subscriber. In fact, it worked without me even being logged into my account. So this puts the app right up there with the Roku app.
However, I don't see the great attraction of the Overtime views if you're used to the view of the standard telecast. It's an interesting to watch for a while, but what I miss most is that none of the views display the score along with the feed. But I guess it's better than nothing if you don't have access to the regular TNT feed.
[12/28/16] Not really NBA League Pass entry, but it's an NBA entry so I'll put it here.
Noticed that the NBC Sports app on the Roku currently has three NBA games playing. Kings vs. Trail Blazers on CSN California, Raptors vs. Warriors on CSN Bay Area, and Nets vs. Bull on CSN Chicago. I want to see if I can catch any of them on the Hawaiian Telcom account.
OK, activated. Let's see if I get any results.
I guess not. There's a message saying: Restricted Content The current program is not available in your region due to local blackout restrictions. And now that I'm logged in, none of the games show up on the screen. Oh well, I tried..
Looking at the activation screen, it says "You have access to NBC Sports video from the following networks: NBCSN. CNBC, USA, Golf Channel, NBC. No Prime Ticket, which makes sense since Hawaiian Telcom doesn't carry Prime Ticket. Wait, never mind. Prime Ticket is a Fox channel.
Go home and try activate the Roku app with Oceanic. [what 52pickup not working? try Keith.] OK, logged in, but as expected no NBA.
Vudu Movies On Us
Via CordKillers 142, I see that Walmart has launched a new service called Vudu Movies On Us.
You access the service through the Vudu app. The drawback is that Vudu is only on one of the major streaming boxes. It's on the Roku, but not on the Fire TV or Apple TV.
Anyway I hooked up my Roku and checked it out.
So launch Vudu. Go to Spotlight (actually it was already highlighted), then go down to Movies On Us.
Yep. There's 241 movies. All free with ads. Actually there's a lot more than 241 movies. There's 241 featured movies. 219 in Top Drama. 115 in Top Action. 193 in Top Comedy. 65 in Top Romance. 165 in Music/Musicals. 100 in Family Movie Night. 37 in Animation. 578 in Documentaries. Plus a few more categories.
Among the ones that caught to my eye were True Grit (the newer one), School of Rock, A Walk To Remember, Searching For Bobby Fischer, The Phantom of the Opera, Mad Max, Stardust, All Dogs Go to Heaven, Midnight Cowboy, The Magnificent Seven, Inherit The Wind, Waiting for Superman, Aeon Flux, The Running Man, Collateral Damage, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, Star Trek: Nemesis, Race for Your Life Charlie Brown, The Legend of Bruce Lee, Universal Soldier, The Brothers Bloom (actually never heard of it before but the trailer seems fun), An Inconvenient Truth, Wayne's World 2, Pink Floyd: Behind the Wall, So some well-known titles.
Some of these are on other free services like tubitv but certainly not all. And the service is more responsive, seems better organized with not as much junk as Tubi. The selection is as good or better than Crackle. They certainly have more movies, though Crackle might have a few newer movies and also has more TV shows.
So I suppose this is another reason to go into the Vudu app. But it's not like I don't have already have enough to watch with Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime. And if I actually want to buy something, I prefer buying it on Amazon largely because it's on both the Fire TV as well as the Roku. And also I like the captions on Amazon more than on Vudu.
One thing I do like about Vudu is that always have a few free TV episodes you can buy. Generally, I check to see what's free on Fandango on the Roku or the TV section on the Apple TV to see what they are offering for free. And often Vudu has it too (as well as Amazon).
All in all, I have to give it a thumbs up. You can't argue with free.
You access the service through the Vudu app. The drawback is that Vudu is only on one of the major streaming boxes. It's on the Roku, but not on the Fire TV or Apple TV.
Anyway I hooked up my Roku and checked it out.
So launch Vudu. Go to Spotlight (actually it was already highlighted), then go down to Movies On Us.
Yep. There's 241 movies. All free with ads. Actually there's a lot more than 241 movies. There's 241 featured movies. 219 in Top Drama. 115 in Top Action. 193 in Top Comedy. 65 in Top Romance. 165 in Music/Musicals. 100 in Family Movie Night. 37 in Animation. 578 in Documentaries. Plus a few more categories.
Among the ones that caught to my eye were True Grit (the newer one), School of Rock, A Walk To Remember, Searching For Bobby Fischer, The Phantom of the Opera, Mad Max, Stardust, All Dogs Go to Heaven, Midnight Cowboy, The Magnificent Seven, Inherit The Wind, Waiting for Superman, Aeon Flux, The Running Man, Collateral Damage, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, Star Trek: Nemesis, Race for Your Life Charlie Brown, The Legend of Bruce Lee, Universal Soldier, The Brothers Bloom (actually never heard of it before but the trailer seems fun), An Inconvenient Truth, Wayne's World 2, Pink Floyd: Behind the Wall, So some well-known titles.
Some of these are on other free services like tubitv but certainly not all. And the service is more responsive, seems better organized with not as much junk as Tubi. The selection is as good or better than Crackle. They certainly have more movies, though Crackle might have a few newer movies and also has more TV shows.
So I suppose this is another reason to go into the Vudu app. But it's not like I don't have already have enough to watch with Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime. And if I actually want to buy something, I prefer buying it on Amazon largely because it's on both the Fire TV as well as the Roku. And also I like the captions on Amazon more than on Vudu.
One thing I do like about Vudu is that always have a few free TV episodes you can buy. Generally, I check to see what's free on Fandango on the Roku or the TV section on the Apple TV to see what they are offering for free. And often Vudu has it too (as well as Amazon).
All in all, I have to give it a thumbs up. You can't argue with free.
Wednesday, October 19, 2016
Tesla announces fully self-driving cars
SAN FRANCISCO — Tesla Motors announced Wednesday that its electric
cars will be the first in the nation to all be fitted with the hardware
they need to drive themselves.
CEOElon Musk
announced Wednesday that the automaker's Model S, X and forthcoming
Model 3 sedan will start being outfitted with "the hardware needed for
full self-driving capability at a safety level substantially greater
than that of a human driver."
That constitutes full Level 5 autonomy, which doesn't require any driver involvement. That's the ultimate goal for a range of automakers and tech companies, including Google, Ford and Volvo, which have vowed to produce such self-driving vehicles by 2021.
Musk did not say exactly when such technology would be consumer-ready, although he did say regulatory hurdles would have to be vaulted first.
"It's not up to us, it's up to the regulators, and we hope things don't become balkanized and different in every state," he said. "It's a question of what the public and regulators think is appropriate. The system will always be operating in 'shadow mode,' though, so we can gather a lot of sophisticated data to show where software could have acted or not acted."
CEO
That constitutes full Level 5 autonomy, which doesn't require any driver involvement. That's the ultimate goal for a range of automakers and tech companies, including Google, Ford and Volvo, which have vowed to produce such self-driving vehicles by 2021.
Musk did not say exactly when such technology would be consumer-ready, although he did say regulatory hurdles would have to be vaulted first.
"It's not up to us, it's up to the regulators, and we hope things don't become balkanized and different in every state," he said. "It's a question of what the public and regulators think is appropriate. The system will always be operating in 'shadow mode,' though, so we can gather a lot of sophisticated data to show where software could have acted or not acted."
Tuesday, October 11, 2016
Apple TV 3 discontinued
Apple has discontinued the third-generation Apple TV, removing it from its online store. Additionally, links to the Apple TV 3 now reroute to the fourth-generation Apple TV. Apple confirmed it was discontinuing the device in an email to employees and educators obtained by 9to5Mac.
The Apple TV 3 was released in 2012 and given a spec bump the following year. In fall 2015, Apple announced the long-awaited fourth-generation Apple TV, including support for Siri, the brand-new tvOS, and the App Store.
[via cordkillers]
***
What that tells me is that I will start using my Apple TV less and less as the channel developers probably won't develop apps for it and/or get Apple to put them on. So don't hold your breath for The CW to appear on it.
Overall I still like Apple TV's captions the best for Hulu. But the Fire TV is acceptable. Still don't like the Roku captions on Hulu. I'm using the Fire TV more than the Roku largely because of Hulu. I also like how the Fire TV marks which shows on Hulu and have been seen or unseen.
However the Fire TV still doesn't have several channels (e.g. NatGeo, FreeForm, NFL), so I still switch between them from time-to-time. The Fire TV does support TNT and TBS though, which are not yet on the Roku.
The Apple TV 3 was released in 2012 and given a spec bump the following year. In fall 2015, Apple announced the long-awaited fourth-generation Apple TV, including support for Siri, the brand-new tvOS, and the App Store.
[via cordkillers]
***
What that tells me is that I will start using my Apple TV less and less as the channel developers probably won't develop apps for it and/or get Apple to put them on. So don't hold your breath for The CW to appear on it.
Overall I still like Apple TV's captions the best for Hulu. But the Fire TV is acceptable. Still don't like the Roku captions on Hulu. I'm using the Fire TV more than the Roku largely because of Hulu. I also like how the Fire TV marks which shows on Hulu and have been seen or unseen.
However the Fire TV still doesn't have several channels (e.g. NatGeo, FreeForm, NFL), so I still switch between them from time-to-time. The Fire TV does support TNT and TBS though, which are not yet on the Roku.
Thursday, October 06, 2016
no traffic deaths in 30 years?
ARLINGTON, Va.—The Obama administration on Wednesday committed to a
goal of eliminating traffic deaths within 30 years, setting a timeline
for the first time on an ambitious agenda that relies heavily on the
auto industry's development of self-driving cars.
The Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and other agencies committed to the objective after a sharp uptick in roadway deaths.
Although U.S. auto-safety regulators had previously said their goal was to someday eliminate road fatalities altogether, Wednesday's announcement marks the first time they've identified a specific timeline.
For starters, NHTSA, Federal Highway Administration, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and National Safety Council will coordinate efforts to promote safe driving through a campaign called Road to Zero, which will include marketing efforts and the installation of basic safety infrastructure such as rumble strips. The Transportation Department will spend $1 million per year for the next three years on grants.
But those baby steps belie what will become a much more substantive push to promote the development of self-driving cars, road infrastructure that can communicate with vehicles and advanced safety systems in vehicles.
It's an especially ambitious goal — some might say unrealistic — especially considering that the number of people killed on the road in the U.S. soared 7.2% to 35,092 in 2015, marking the deadliest year on the road since 2008.
The Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and other agencies committed to the objective after a sharp uptick in roadway deaths.
Although U.S. auto-safety regulators had previously said their goal was to someday eliminate road fatalities altogether, Wednesday's announcement marks the first time they've identified a specific timeline.
For starters, NHTSA, Federal Highway Administration, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and National Safety Council will coordinate efforts to promote safe driving through a campaign called Road to Zero, which will include marketing efforts and the installation of basic safety infrastructure such as rumble strips. The Transportation Department will spend $1 million per year for the next three years on grants.
But those baby steps belie what will become a much more substantive push to promote the development of self-driving cars, road infrastructure that can communicate with vehicles and advanced safety systems in vehicles.
It's an especially ambitious goal — some might say unrealistic — especially considering that the number of people killed on the road in the U.S. soared 7.2% to 35,092 in 2015, marking the deadliest year on the road since 2008.
Tuesday, September 27, 2016
Plex
[9/27/16] Finally installed the Plex Server on my laptop so I can watch Plex at my mom's place. (Actually I watched the premiere of Kevin Can Wait which is free on Amazon Video [and itunes] and I was kind of interested in the second episode. Anyway...]
Scanning photos on my laptop. Takes forever (and is still going).
First thing I installed was the CBS channel. You have to do it on the computer (right-click on the Plex Server icon in the lower right on the computer, you'll probably have to click the ^ to see it. Then Open Plex...).
Didn't see CBS when I opened the Plex Classic app on the Roku, but it showed up in the newer Plex app. However the videos don't play. It starts to play. The progress circle stops at 13% and keeps spinning. Then some minutes later, I get an error message, like video not available or in wrong format.
In the meantime, to check if something was wrong with the Plex installation, I installed the Twit channel. And it seemed to play fine.
Try again. This time I tried Big Bang Theory and it started to play after a long time waiting to load. Then after a few seconds, it started to buffer again and now is stuck at 33%.
Now it started again, but keeps pausing to buffer. And now it seems to be playing better, pausing to buffer less and less. Maybe Plex needed to settle down (from processing so many photos). We'll see how it performs next time. No captions though.
Actually most of the Plex channels that I'm interested in are already on the Roku (though some require cable verification). CBS was the main one I was interested in, since access on streaming boxes is limited to CBS All Access subscribers.
I think I'd be better off just re-subscribing to CBS All Access. The thing is that when I subscribed, the shows I mostly watched were Supergirl, Limitless, and CSI: Cyber. And now Supergirl has moved to The CW. And Limitless and CSI: Cyber were both cancelled. (Supergirl and Limitless reruns are now on Netflix.) So there's not much reason for me to re-subscribe. I had been watching Scorpion and NCIS: Los Angeles. But lost interest last season (mainly because I had other shows I wanted to watch more).
And now I see I can watch CBS Shows On Demand at my mom's place through the TWC app on her Roku TV. So I guess this turned out to be mostly an academic exercise.
Watching Kevin Can Wait, episode 2. Keep waiting for Deke to show up...
[7/22/16] OK installed Plex Classic. Still no subtitles on Fox, but subtitles worked on NBC (Heroes Reborn). But have to toggle it off then toggle it back on (from the * menu).
Switch back to Roku 3. Nope, no still subtitles on Plex. But they worked on Plex Classic (on NBC, still have to toggle off then toggle on).
Try Team Coco, Conan full episodes. No subtitles. However subtitles work when watching using Nowhere TV. So very limited success with subtitles using Plex Classic.
[7/21/16] Notice that Plex has a new interface (because I was watching a youtube video which says you can install the old-style interface). I guess it's OK, but I notice that it doesn't support captions, whereas the older Plex supported captions on some channels (for example, ABC used to support captions -- see below). So I disconnected the Roku 3 and connected up my old Roku HD. Nope, I see Plex got updated to the newer version. So no captions. Disappointing.
I wonder if the old-style interface supports captions? Maybe I'll try later.
[9/7/15] Tried out Plex on the Fire TV. Connected fine, but you gotta pay $4.99 to watch more than a minute. No subtitles on Fox. But I guess this is one way to watch CBS on the Fire TV. Though with no subtitles (on both Roku and Fire TV).
[9/6/15] Tried out the new Plex client on Roku (supposedly now free, but it was always free for me. Apparently I was grandfathered in. Or because I installed it before they started charging).
Yep, the design looks more modernized. And I noticed a Fox channel. So I installed that and it worked with captions. Tried HGTV Canada (since Kodi has it). But evidently it's blocked. Looked for DIY (also on Kodi), but evidently it's an unofficial app. Also noticed HGTV and DIY is now gone from Hulu.
And now I see some episode from HGTV and DIY (as well as Food Network, Travel Channel, Cooking Channel) are available on ulive.com (directed from hulu.com).
[6/8/15] installed the USA Network channel on the Plex app on the Roku, so I could watch Mr. Robot. It works and has captions! (Apple TV has a USA Network app, so you can watch there too.)
[3/18/15] Started playing with Plex again, finally tried renaming some of my Dog Whisperer videos according to plex convention, repointed to the folder location (I had moved it), and it showed up. And the .srt subtitles worked. At least on the video I tested. I guess I'll play some more later.
Also last week (3/10) tried out again some of the channels I had installed months ago after not really using Plex for a while. Most of them still work. Here's the results:
CBS works, but no captions (watched Scorpion)
ABC works with captions (Castle)
NBC works with captions (Parks and Recreation)
The CW works, but no captions (The Flash)
CNN partially works with captions
HGTV works with captions
TheWB doesn't work (not surprisingly since the website no longer is functions)
Tried removing TheWB Channel from the media server and couldn't.
Let's try some more
Team Coco - works with captions (only two full episodes available) / also available on Nowhere TV
Youtube - the app isn't supported, then it worked, partially anyway
CNet - app isn't supported, but it worked
PBS - not supported, but partially works (Nature videos didn't play), no captions (but what's this direct stream/transcode instead of play? ok can change it in playback options)
NFL Network - works, no captions
TWIT - not supported, but works
Spike - able to access the menu, but can't find any videos that work
wasn't getting captions on ABC, changed direct stream/transcode to automatic (don't know why it changed in the first place) and got the captions back.
Not sure if Plex is still free as I'm using the old Plex installed on my old Roku HD. But I'm not going to touch it since it's working.
[5/18/13] With the success (sort of) with installing iTunes so I could get apps on the iPad (more like I needed to set up my iTunes account) and xferring some photos to the iPad, I decided to try Plex too (the other item on my to-do list).
The main reason I wanted to get Plex was to view Hulu on the Roku.
Looked at this link, but when I installed Plex it looked like a newer version and didn't have a preferences section. Or at least it wasn't labelled preferences. And didn't get a sign up button. (Well now I see a signup section for My Plex.)
Anyway, I ran the server and when I went to the Plex app on the Roku I could see that it found my iTunes music. So I knew the computer and Roku were talking. So I figured I didn't need to sign up for an account.
Then I added the Hulu channel on Plex. I could see the shows on the Roku, but the show wouldn't play saying it was unavailable (but it ran when I went directly to hulu.com on the computer).
I tried twit.tv and that worked pretty good. Youtube worked too. But some other channels didn't work so well. Timing out and going too slow.
PBS seemed to lock up the roku and it rebooted. But later I got one of the videos to play, but not very smooth.
CBS didn't work very well with Star Trek timing out and Letterman taking a long time to load. But ABC seems to work quite well. Oddly the picture starts out blurry but then clears up after several seconds.
Scanning photos on my laptop. Takes forever (and is still going).
First thing I installed was the CBS channel. You have to do it on the computer (right-click on the Plex Server icon in the lower right on the computer, you'll probably have to click the ^ to see it. Then Open Plex...).
Didn't see CBS when I opened the Plex Classic app on the Roku, but it showed up in the newer Plex app. However the videos don't play. It starts to play. The progress circle stops at 13% and keeps spinning. Then some minutes later, I get an error message, like video not available or in wrong format.
In the meantime, to check if something was wrong with the Plex installation, I installed the Twit channel. And it seemed to play fine.
Try again. This time I tried Big Bang Theory and it started to play after a long time waiting to load. Then after a few seconds, it started to buffer again and now is stuck at 33%.
Now it started again, but keeps pausing to buffer. And now it seems to be playing better, pausing to buffer less and less. Maybe Plex needed to settle down (from processing so many photos). We'll see how it performs next time. No captions though.
Actually most of the Plex channels that I'm interested in are already on the Roku (though some require cable verification). CBS was the main one I was interested in, since access on streaming boxes is limited to CBS All Access subscribers.
I think I'd be better off just re-subscribing to CBS All Access. The thing is that when I subscribed, the shows I mostly watched were Supergirl, Limitless, and CSI: Cyber. And now Supergirl has moved to The CW. And Limitless and CSI: Cyber were both cancelled. (Supergirl and Limitless reruns are now on Netflix.) So there's not much reason for me to re-subscribe. I had been watching Scorpion and NCIS: Los Angeles. But lost interest last season (mainly because I had other shows I wanted to watch more).
And now I see I can watch CBS Shows On Demand at my mom's place through the TWC app on her Roku TV. So I guess this turned out to be mostly an academic exercise.
Watching Kevin Can Wait, episode 2. Keep waiting for Deke to show up...
[7/22/16] OK installed Plex Classic. Still no subtitles on Fox, but subtitles worked on NBC (Heroes Reborn). But have to toggle it off then toggle it back on (from the * menu).
Switch back to Roku 3. Nope, no still subtitles on Plex. But they worked on Plex Classic (on NBC, still have to toggle off then toggle on).
Try Team Coco, Conan full episodes. No subtitles. However subtitles work when watching using Nowhere TV. So very limited success with subtitles using Plex Classic.
[7/21/16] Notice that Plex has a new interface (because I was watching a youtube video which says you can install the old-style interface). I guess it's OK, but I notice that it doesn't support captions, whereas the older Plex supported captions on some channels (for example, ABC used to support captions -- see below). So I disconnected the Roku 3 and connected up my old Roku HD. Nope, I see Plex got updated to the newer version. So no captions. Disappointing.
I wonder if the old-style interface supports captions? Maybe I'll try later.
[9/7/15] Tried out Plex on the Fire TV. Connected fine, but you gotta pay $4.99 to watch more than a minute. No subtitles on Fox. But I guess this is one way to watch CBS on the Fire TV. Though with no subtitles (on both Roku and Fire TV).
[9/6/15] Tried out the new Plex client on Roku (supposedly now free, but it was always free for me. Apparently I was grandfathered in. Or because I installed it before they started charging).
Yep, the design looks more modernized. And I noticed a Fox channel. So I installed that and it worked with captions. Tried HGTV Canada (since Kodi has it). But evidently it's blocked. Looked for DIY (also on Kodi), but evidently it's an unofficial app. Also noticed HGTV and DIY is now gone from Hulu.
And now I see some episode from HGTV and DIY (as well as Food Network, Travel Channel, Cooking Channel) are available on ulive.com (directed from hulu.com).
[6/8/15] installed the USA Network channel on the Plex app on the Roku, so I could watch Mr. Robot. It works and has captions! (Apple TV has a USA Network app, so you can watch there too.)
[3/18/15] Started playing with Plex again, finally tried renaming some of my Dog Whisperer videos according to plex convention, repointed to the folder location (I had moved it), and it showed up. And the .srt subtitles worked. At least on the video I tested. I guess I'll play some more later.
Also last week (3/10) tried out again some of the channels I had installed months ago after not really using Plex for a while. Most of them still work. Here's the results:
CBS works, but no captions (watched Scorpion)
ABC works with captions (Castle)
NBC works with captions (Parks and Recreation)
The CW works, but no captions (The Flash)
CNN partially works with captions
HGTV works with captions
TheWB doesn't work (not surprisingly since the website no longer is functions)
Tried removing TheWB Channel from the media server and couldn't.
I don't see some of them as officially available now. Looking at the TV category, I don't see ABC, NBC, TheWB. Not Fox either, though Fox News is on (as well as CNBC). Apparently only CBS and CW are now official channels.
Team Coco - works with captions (only two full episodes available) / also available on Nowhere TV
Youtube - the app isn't supported, then it worked, partially anyway
CNet - app isn't supported, but it worked
PBS - not supported, but partially works (Nature videos didn't play), no captions (but what's this direct stream/transcode instead of play? ok can change it in playback options)
NFL Network - works, no captions
TWIT - not supported, but works
Spike - able to access the menu, but can't find any videos that work
wasn't getting captions on ABC, changed direct stream/transcode to automatic (don't know why it changed in the first place) and got the captions back.
Not sure if Plex is still free as I'm using the old Plex installed on my old Roku HD. But I'm not going to touch it since it's working.
[5/18/13] With the success (sort of) with installing iTunes so I could get apps on the iPad (more like I needed to set up my iTunes account) and xferring some photos to the iPad, I decided to try Plex too (the other item on my to-do list).
The main reason I wanted to get Plex was to view Hulu on the Roku.
Looked at this link, but when I installed Plex it looked like a newer version and didn't have a preferences section. Or at least it wasn't labelled preferences. And didn't get a sign up button. (Well now I see a signup section for My Plex.)
Anyway, I ran the server and when I went to the Plex app on the Roku I could see that it found my iTunes music. So I knew the computer and Roku were talking. So I figured I didn't need to sign up for an account.
Then I added the Hulu channel on Plex. I could see the shows on the Roku, but the show wouldn't play saying it was unavailable (but it ran when I went directly to hulu.com on the computer).
I tried twit.tv and that worked pretty good. Youtube worked too. But some other channels didn't work so well. Timing out and going too slow.
PBS seemed to lock up the roku and it rebooted. But later I got one of the videos to play, but not very smooth.
CBS didn't work very well with Star Trek timing out and Letterman taking a long time to load. But ABC seems to work quite well. Oddly the picture starts out blurry but then clears up after several seconds.
Sunday, September 18, 2016
free movies and TV on the Roku
If you have a Roku, you know there's a lot of channels you can add.
Most notably, a lot of movies and TV shows for free. Admittedly, I don't watch them all that much since I subscribe to Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime. And have access to HBO, Showtime, Starz, Epix, FX, etc.
But if you're cheap, I guess you can get away with just watching free stuff.
So here's the best of them that I found.
Probably the most well-known is Crackle. They're owned by Sony so feature a lot of Sony movies. Taking a look at the current lineup, they have movies such as The Hulk, Underworld, Resident Evil, Johnny Mnemonic, Conan The Barbarian, The Nutty Professor (1996), Look Who's Talking, Groundhog Day, Stripes, Beverly Hills Ninja, The Blues Brothers, A League of Their Own, Jerry Maguire, And TV shows such as Seinfeld, All In The Family, Married With Children, I Dream of Jeannie, Mad About You, Fantasy Island, Sanford (but not Sanford and Son -- they used to have it -- I see Sanford and Son is now on Starz), The Three Stooges.
CW Seed has shows that were on the predecessor to CW, the WB Network. They don't have a huge selection, but what they offer is pretty decent. Among their selection: Birds of Prey, Constantine, Mad TV, The O.C., Vixen, Whose Line Is it Anyway (every episode). They even have a couple of feature length animated movies: Justice League: Doom, Justice League: Crisis On Two Earths. They used to have The Flash (the original one), but it's no longer on. I remember they also used to have Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. So they do rotate their shows once in a while.
For sheer volume, it's hard to beat tubitv. I wouldn't say most of the shows are hits or even known. But there's a lot of them and some of them are recognizable. Among the current selection is Whose Line is it Anyway? (TV - seasons 7-10 -- they have them all at CW Seed), Star Trek: Nemesis, Legally Blonde 2, The Secret, Fargo, Searching For Bobby Fischer (this is the first time I've seen this available for streaming), AeonFlux, Five People You Meet In Heaven, Hoosiers, Heaven Can Wait, Inherit The Wind, Sahara, Sky Captain and the World Tomorrow, . So there are some well-known movies, you just have to search for them in the mass. For example in the Dramatic Movies category there are 614 movies! Supports subtitles, but if you have an older Roku, you might find it very slow in loading.
Ovguide. They have 235 movies in the Featured category. None of which particularly caught my eye as something I might want to see. Well they have Battle for the Planet of the Apes (which was the fifth and final entry in the original Planet of the Apes series). They have 390 shows in the TV Shows category. The Nature of Things sounds interesting. We The Economy, The Jack Benny Program (not that many episodes), Tai Chi for Beginners, Heaven On Earth, The Red Skelton Show, World of Discovery, The Bob Hope Show, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet.The Heckle and Jeckle Show, The Three Stooges (cartoon),
popcornflix. Let's see what they have. Race For Your Life, Charlie Brown. Silver Hawk (Michelle Yeoh), Designing Spaces (TV series -- taking a long time to pull up -- I'd say it's stuck). Some interesting documentaries some of which I previously saw on Netflix: Fast, Sick & Nearly Dead, Welcome to Macintosh, Earth Songs, What the Bleep Do We Know? The Flaw. Supports closed caption.
Shout Factory TV. A bunch of MST3K. A Night in Casablanca (Marx Bros), Africa Screams (Abbott & Costello), Car 52 Where Are You? Dennis the Menace, Father Knows Best. The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis. The Red Skelton Show. The Marx Brothers TV Collection. A bunch of old Jackie Chan movies (City Hunter, Crime Story, Police Story, Police Story 2, Battle Creek Brawl, etc.). And a bunch of Steve Martin specials: Not to mention: The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour.
premiere. The Jackie Robinson Story. My Dog Shep. Rescue from Gilligan's Island. Ozzie and Harriet, The Beverly Hillbillies, Petticoat Junction, The George Burns and Gacie Allen Show, The Lone Ranger.
Gravitas. Fat Sick & Nearly Dead.
SnagFilms. Expedition Blue Planet. Barack Obama: The Power of Change. And tons more (that I can live without).
Docurama. 10 Questions for the Dali Lama. A Small Act. Hungry for Change. My Dog. Forgiveness.
Documentary Depot. [now with a modernized interface]. Ellen Degeneres: All Of Me. Steve Jobs - Consciously Genius.Wild Horse, Wild Ride. The Beautiful Truth. Losing LeBron. Going to the All Documentary category, there are now 1434 shows. No captions.
FilmRise is one that I took off earliy. Looking at it now, I see Highway To Heaven (with Michael Landon), Heaven On Earth, World of Discovery. I Am is also on here. Maybe I'll keep it on now.
When I checked four months ago, the series We the Economy was on several of them. Now I don't see it, which is odd because it was supposedly distributed for free. Well, I guess I can still catch it on youtube. It's also on vimeo. And I guess, still on itunes. No captions except for a free episode on Amazon.
EndemolShineInternational (aka Shine Now). Retrieving... [The next day, still Retrieving... I guess I'll delete it then.]
Most notably, a lot of movies and TV shows for free. Admittedly, I don't watch them all that much since I subscribe to Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime. And have access to HBO, Showtime, Starz, Epix, FX, etc.
But if you're cheap, I guess you can get away with just watching free stuff.
So here's the best of them that I found.
Probably the most well-known is Crackle. They're owned by Sony so feature a lot of Sony movies. Taking a look at the current lineup, they have movies such as The Hulk, Underworld, Resident Evil, Johnny Mnemonic, Conan The Barbarian, The Nutty Professor (1996), Look Who's Talking, Groundhog Day, Stripes, Beverly Hills Ninja, The Blues Brothers, A League of Their Own, Jerry Maguire, And TV shows such as Seinfeld, All In The Family, Married With Children, I Dream of Jeannie, Mad About You, Fantasy Island, Sanford (but not Sanford and Son -- they used to have it -- I see Sanford and Son is now on Starz), The Three Stooges.
CW Seed has shows that were on the predecessor to CW, the WB Network. They don't have a huge selection, but what they offer is pretty decent. Among their selection: Birds of Prey, Constantine, Mad TV, The O.C., Vixen, Whose Line Is it Anyway (every episode). They even have a couple of feature length animated movies: Justice League: Doom, Justice League: Crisis On Two Earths. They used to have The Flash (the original one), but it's no longer on. I remember they also used to have Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. So they do rotate their shows once in a while.
For sheer volume, it's hard to beat tubitv. I wouldn't say most of the shows are hits or even known. But there's a lot of them and some of them are recognizable. Among the current selection is Whose Line is it Anyway? (TV - seasons 7-10 -- they have them all at CW Seed), Star Trek: Nemesis, Legally Blonde 2, The Secret, Fargo, Searching For Bobby Fischer (this is the first time I've seen this available for streaming), AeonFlux, Five People You Meet In Heaven, Hoosiers, Heaven Can Wait, Inherit The Wind, Sahara, Sky Captain and the World Tomorrow, . So there are some well-known movies, you just have to search for them in the mass. For example in the Dramatic Movies category there are 614 movies! Supports subtitles, but if you have an older Roku, you might find it very slow in loading.
Ovguide. They have 235 movies in the Featured category. None of which particularly caught my eye as something I might want to see. Well they have Battle for the Planet of the Apes (which was the fifth and final entry in the original Planet of the Apes series). They have 390 shows in the TV Shows category. The Nature of Things sounds interesting. We The Economy, The Jack Benny Program (not that many episodes), Tai Chi for Beginners, Heaven On Earth, The Red Skelton Show, World of Discovery, The Bob Hope Show, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet.The Heckle and Jeckle Show, The Three Stooges (cartoon),
popcornflix. Let's see what they have. Race For Your Life, Charlie Brown. Silver Hawk (Michelle Yeoh), Designing Spaces (TV series -- taking a long time to pull up -- I'd say it's stuck). Some interesting documentaries some of which I previously saw on Netflix: Fast, Sick & Nearly Dead, Welcome to Macintosh, Earth Songs, What the Bleep Do We Know? The Flaw. Supports closed caption.
Shout Factory TV. A bunch of MST3K. A Night in Casablanca (Marx Bros), Africa Screams (Abbott & Costello), Car 52 Where Are You? Dennis the Menace, Father Knows Best. The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis. The Red Skelton Show. The Marx Brothers TV Collection. A bunch of old Jackie Chan movies (City Hunter, Crime Story, Police Story, Police Story 2, Battle Creek Brawl, etc.). And a bunch of Steve Martin specials: Not to mention: The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour.
premiere. The Jackie Robinson Story. My Dog Shep. Rescue from Gilligan's Island. Ozzie and Harriet, The Beverly Hillbillies, Petticoat Junction, The George Burns and Gacie Allen Show, The Lone Ranger.
Gravitas. Fat Sick & Nearly Dead.
SnagFilms. Expedition Blue Planet. Barack Obama: The Power of Change. And tons more (that I can live without).
Docurama. 10 Questions for the Dali Lama. A Small Act. Hungry for Change. My Dog. Forgiveness.
Documentary Depot. [now with a modernized interface]. Ellen Degeneres: All Of Me. Steve Jobs - Consciously Genius.Wild Horse, Wild Ride. The Beautiful Truth. Losing LeBron. Going to the All Documentary category, there are now 1434 shows. No captions.
FilmRise is one that I took off earliy. Looking at it now, I see Highway To Heaven (with Michael Landon), Heaven On Earth, World of Discovery. I Am is also on here. Maybe I'll keep it on now.
When I checked four months ago, the series We the Economy was on several of them. Now I don't see it, which is odd because it was supposedly distributed for free. Well, I guess I can still catch it on youtube. It's also on vimeo. And I guess, still on itunes. No captions except for a free episode on Amazon.
EndemolShineInternational (aka Shine Now). Retrieving... [The next day, still Retrieving... I guess I'll delete it then.]
a cure for blindness?
One in every 200 people on Earth can’t see. But amazingly, a cure for blindness is now in sight.
-- via Bill Gates
-- via Bill Gates
Wednesday, August 31, 2016
CBS All Access
[8/31/16] Discontinued my CBS All Access subscription after I finished watching Supergirl and CSI: Cyber (the available episodes anyway) and I saw that Netflix picked up all the Limitless. One of the questions they asked when exiting was the reason for discontinuing. Too much commercials was one of my options.
Now I see they have a commercial free plan for $10/month. Commercial free sounds good. But $10/month? I guess that's not that bad, but that's the same price as Netflix. I guess we're all spoiled by the Netflix price.
[6/9/15] Decided to try out CBS All Access a couple of weeks ago because Letterman was going off the air and I missed the last couple of weeks. (And it wasn't On Demand on Oceanic.) I've been using it mostly on my Roku, but sometimes on my iPad or computers.
I found out that I could use my CBS Rewards to get a free month (and that I needed to use it because CBS Rewards was going kaput). So I redeemed it and tried to apply it. But I don't know if it worked because the screen hung up when I put in the code. And when I try to access my account on CBS.com, my credit card is not available (bad sign). I get the following message: "Your Account, Billing and Payment Information is currently unavailable. Please call customer service for assistance: (888) 274-5343." Another bad sign. So we'll see when my card gets charged.
Hey, but I guess the free month code worked because I see a message in my CBS All-Access account area saying "Enjoy your Free Trial Through June 28, 2015".
Anyway, here's what I noticed so far.
The picture seems a little dark for some reason.
Sometimes there's buffering. Sometimes there's a lot of buffering. And sometimes there's a long wait as it buffers. Sure my internet speed isn't that fast. And sure I'm using an old, slow Roku HD. But don't have this problem on Netflix or Hulu Plus.
And there's a lot of commercials. A lot more than Hulu Plus. And you get the same commercials over and over. Currently Expedia is the one that keeps playing over and over. It's a snappy commercial but after watching it seemingly every five minutes, it gets a bit tiresome after the fourth or fifth time. And all this time watching it, I still can't make out all the words that the woman is singing.
And you can watch what's on CBS Live, but only in selected areas (not in Hawaii).
You get all this season's episodes for current CBS shows. NCIS fans will be happy to know that all 24 episodes of season 12 are available. Also all this season's episodes of NCIS: Los Angeles and NCIS: New Orleans. And Scorpion and Hawaii Five-O, and Elementary, etc.
But not all the shows. For example, only 7 episodes of The Big Bang Theory, 7 episodes of CSI: Cyber, 7 episodes of 2 Broke Girls, 7 episodes of Mom. 6 episodes of The Mentalist. And now only 2 episodes left of Late Night with David Letterman (and counting down).
They do have some "classic shows", like Everybody Hates Chris, Star Trek, MacGyver, and a bunch more. But most of these (if not all of them) are also on Hulu.
After I finish watching the Scorpion finale (and maybe some CSI Cyber and NCIS: Los Angeles), I'm on the fence about renewing.
[4/7/15] CBS's internet TV service is arriving on Roku today. For $5.99 a month, Roku owners will be able to subscribe to CBS All Access, which gives subscribers streams of many current and past CBS TV series and allows viewers to actually watch CBS as it's live on the air, so long as they're within certain areas. It's the exact service that people who want to ditch cable are looking for, making this an important grab for Roku. Though All Access has already been available on the web and through iOS and Android apps, the addition makes Roku — which already has a huge number of online channels — an even more compelling option for those looking for a device that'll let them cancel cable.
For now, CBS All Access' killer feature — the ability to watch CBS as it's airing live — is only available in 14 markets. That includes New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas, San Francisco, Boston, Detroit, Minneapolis, Miami, Denver, Sacramento, Pittsburgh, and Baltimore. CBS says that more locations are coming "soon," but it doesn't mention where or exactly when. Notably, those live streams do not include NFL games, though other sports content is available.
CBS does mention that you can expect to see All Access on more platforms very soon. "The launch of the CBS All Access channel marks the first of many connected device platforms we’ll be bringing this service to in the coming months," Marc DeBevoise, a CBS Interactive exec, says in a statement. One would expect the Apple TV to be among those, but Apple has exclusives of its own for now: for the next three months, it's the only streaming box that's going to have HBO Now. There's a good chance that'll be more of a sales hook that CBS.
[10/16/14] Netflix got even more competition this week, a day after HBO revealed that it will introduce a stand-alone streaming service in 2015: CBS released a digital subscription video-on-demand service, "CBS All Access," on Thursday.
Now I see they have a commercial free plan for $10/month. Commercial free sounds good. But $10/month? I guess that's not that bad, but that's the same price as Netflix. I guess we're all spoiled by the Netflix price.
[6/9/15] Decided to try out CBS All Access a couple of weeks ago because Letterman was going off the air and I missed the last couple of weeks. (And it wasn't On Demand on Oceanic.) I've been using it mostly on my Roku, but sometimes on my iPad or computers.
I found out that I could use my CBS Rewards to get a free month (and that I needed to use it because CBS Rewards was going kaput). So I redeemed it and tried to apply it. But I don't know if it worked because the screen hung up when I put in the code. And when I try to access my account on CBS.com, my credit card is not available (bad sign). I get the following message: "Your Account, Billing and Payment Information is currently unavailable. Please call customer service for assistance: (888) 274-5343." Another bad sign. So we'll see when my card gets charged.
Hey, but I guess the free month code worked because I see a message in my CBS All-Access account area saying "Enjoy your Free Trial Through June 28, 2015".
Anyway, here's what I noticed so far.
The picture seems a little dark for some reason.
Sometimes there's buffering. Sometimes there's a lot of buffering. And sometimes there's a long wait as it buffers. Sure my internet speed isn't that fast. And sure I'm using an old, slow Roku HD. But don't have this problem on Netflix or Hulu Plus.
And there's a lot of commercials. A lot more than Hulu Plus. And you get the same commercials over and over. Currently Expedia is the one that keeps playing over and over. It's a snappy commercial but after watching it seemingly every five minutes, it gets a bit tiresome after the fourth or fifth time. And all this time watching it, I still can't make out all the words that the woman is singing.
And you can watch what's on CBS Live, but only in selected areas (not in Hawaii).
You get all this season's episodes for current CBS shows. NCIS fans will be happy to know that all 24 episodes of season 12 are available. Also all this season's episodes of NCIS: Los Angeles and NCIS: New Orleans. And Scorpion and Hawaii Five-O, and Elementary, etc.
But not all the shows. For example, only 7 episodes of The Big Bang Theory, 7 episodes of CSI: Cyber, 7 episodes of 2 Broke Girls, 7 episodes of Mom. 6 episodes of The Mentalist. And now only 2 episodes left of Late Night with David Letterman (and counting down).
They do have some "classic shows", like Everybody Hates Chris, Star Trek, MacGyver, and a bunch more. But most of these (if not all of them) are also on Hulu.
After I finish watching the Scorpion finale (and maybe some CSI Cyber and NCIS: Los Angeles), I'm on the fence about renewing.
[4/7/15] CBS's internet TV service is arriving on Roku today. For $5.99 a month, Roku owners will be able to subscribe to CBS All Access, which gives subscribers streams of many current and past CBS TV series and allows viewers to actually watch CBS as it's live on the air, so long as they're within certain areas. It's the exact service that people who want to ditch cable are looking for, making this an important grab for Roku. Though All Access has already been available on the web and through iOS and Android apps, the addition makes Roku — which already has a huge number of online channels — an even more compelling option for those looking for a device that'll let them cancel cable.
For now, CBS All Access' killer feature — the ability to watch CBS as it's airing live — is only available in 14 markets. That includes New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas, San Francisco, Boston, Detroit, Minneapolis, Miami, Denver, Sacramento, Pittsburgh, and Baltimore. CBS says that more locations are coming "soon," but it doesn't mention where or exactly when. Notably, those live streams do not include NFL games, though other sports content is available.
CBS does mention that you can expect to see All Access on more platforms very soon. "The launch of the CBS All Access channel marks the first of many connected device platforms we’ll be bringing this service to in the coming months," Marc DeBevoise, a CBS Interactive exec, says in a statement. One would expect the Apple TV to be among those, but Apple has exclusives of its own for now: for the next three months, it's the only streaming box that's going to have HBO Now. There's a good chance that'll be more of a sales hook that CBS.
[10/16/14] Netflix got even more competition this week, a day after HBO revealed that it will introduce a stand-alone streaming service in 2015: CBS released a digital subscription video-on-demand service, "CBS All Access," on Thursday.
The new product -- which costs $5.99 per month -- will be measured by Nielsen, the network said.
"All Access" offers episodes from the network's current season, previous seasons and classic shows on-demand. Viewers are also able to stream local CBS TV stations live in 14 of the biggest U.S. markets, including New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas, San Francisco, Boston, Detroit, Minneapolis, Miami, Denver, Sacramento, Pittsburgh and Baltimore.
The service is currently available at CBS.com and on mobile devices through the CBS App for iOS and Android. Non-subscribers will still be able to access to the most recent current episodes of CBS programming on CBS.com, select CBS Audience Network partner sites and through the CBS App.
Here's what is included at launch, per the press release:
- Full current seasons of 15 primetime shows with episodes available the day after they air.
- Unprecedented ability to live stream local CBS stations in 14 of the largest markets at launch, with more to be added as affiliates join the new service.
- Full past seasons of eight major current series, including THE GOOD WIFE, BLUE BLOODS and SURVIVOR.
- More than 5,000 episodes of CBS Classics, including every episode of STAR TREK, CHEERS, MACGYVER, TWIN PEAKS and CSI: MIAMI.
- Access to exclusive additional content for CBS Television's biggest special events, such as THE GRAMMY® AWARDS, THE ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS and THE VICTORIA'S SECRET FASHION SHOW.
- Ability to stream the BIG BROTHER 24/7 Live Feeds service for no additional fee when the show returns next summer.
- Advertising-free environment for all CBS Classics.
***
Don't you get a lot of this now with their app and website. Well, I guess you get only the most recent shows and not all of their classics.
Actually most, if not all, of the CBS Classics are currently on Netflix. So I'm wondering if they're going to pull them off. And interestingly I don't see NCIS or the new Hawaii Five-O mentioned as a series with full past seasons. Well, going to NCIS, it says you can "watch the full season" with All Access. No such mention for Hawaii Five-O or The Mentalist. Blue Bloods says "Watch Full Seasons". Hawaii Five-O and The Mentalist just says "Watch It Live Watch It Later".
Actually most, if not all, of the CBS Classics are currently on Netflix. So I'm wondering if they're going to pull them off. And interestingly I don't see NCIS or the new Hawaii Five-O mentioned as a series with full past seasons. Well, going to NCIS, it says you can "watch the full season" with All Access. No such mention for Hawaii Five-O or The Mentalist. Blue Bloods says "Watch Full Seasons". Hawaii Five-O and The Mentalist just says "Watch It Live Watch It Later".
Tuesday, August 30, 2016
a new epoch
Humanity’s impact on the Earth is now so profound that a new geological epoch – the Anthropocene – needs to be declared, according to
an official expert group who presented the recommendation to the
International Geological Congress in Cape Town on Monday.
The new epoch should begin about 1950, the experts said, and is likely to be defined by the radioactive elements dispersed across the planet by nuclear bomb tests, although an array of other signals, including plastic pollution, soot from power stations, concrete, and even the bones left by the global proliferation of the domestic chicken are now under consideration.
The current epoch, the Holocene, is the 12,000 years of stable climate since the last ice age during which all human civilisation developed. But the striking acceleration since the mid-20th century of carbon dioxide emissions and sea level rise, the global mass extinction of species, and the transformation of land by deforestation and development mark the end of that slice of geological time, the experts argue. The Earth is so profoundly changed that the Holocene must give way to the Anthropocene.
Evidence of the Anthropocene
Human activity has:
Pushed extinction rates of animals and plants far above the long-term average. The Earth is now on course to see 75% of species become extinct in the next few centuries if current trends continue.
Increased levels of climate-warming CO2 in the atmosphere at the fastest rate for 66m years, with fossil-fuel burning pushing levels from 280 parts per million before the industrial revolution to 400ppm and rising today.
Put so much plastic in our waterways and oceans that microplastic particles are now virtually ubiquitous, and plastics will likely leave identifiable fossil records for future generations to discover.
Doubled the nitrogen and phosphorous in our soils in the past century with our fertiliser use. This is likely to be the largest impact on the nitrogen cycle in 2.5bn years.
Left a permanent layer of airborne particulates in sediment and glacial ice such as black carbon from fossil fuel burning.
The new epoch should begin about 1950, the experts said, and is likely to be defined by the radioactive elements dispersed across the planet by nuclear bomb tests, although an array of other signals, including plastic pollution, soot from power stations, concrete, and even the bones left by the global proliferation of the domestic chicken are now under consideration.
The current epoch, the Holocene, is the 12,000 years of stable climate since the last ice age during which all human civilisation developed. But the striking acceleration since the mid-20th century of carbon dioxide emissions and sea level rise, the global mass extinction of species, and the transformation of land by deforestation and development mark the end of that slice of geological time, the experts argue. The Earth is so profoundly changed that the Holocene must give way to the Anthropocene.
Evidence of the Anthropocene
Human activity has:
Pushed extinction rates of animals and plants far above the long-term average. The Earth is now on course to see 75% of species become extinct in the next few centuries if current trends continue.
Increased levels of climate-warming CO2 in the atmosphere at the fastest rate for 66m years, with fossil-fuel burning pushing levels from 280 parts per million before the industrial revolution to 400ppm and rising today.
Put so much plastic in our waterways and oceans that microplastic particles are now virtually ubiquitous, and plastics will likely leave identifiable fossil records for future generations to discover.
Doubled the nitrogen and phosphorous in our soils in the past century with our fertiliser use. This is likely to be the largest impact on the nitrogen cycle in 2.5bn years.
Left a permanent layer of airborne particulates in sediment and glacial ice such as black carbon from fossil fuel burning.
Saturday, August 13, 2016
html to pdf
Some of my old statements are in html format rather than pdf.
I recently came across this website that can convert html to pdf files.
[9/16/16 - I'm using it to convert amazon order invoices which are in html format to pdf. Seems to work best on firefox. Save as Web Page, HTML only.]
Let's see how well it works on my files.
The first one I tried was in mht format which is Microsoft's extension to html. It's not compatible.
OK, I found a .htm file. It converted it, but the graphics didn't come over. The text came over OK.
Well, I guess I'll live with the mht files.
***
Hey, here's another site that can supposedly convert mht files to pdf.
Well, it converted without any error messages. But the text is pretty small on the converted document. I guess I'll stick the the mht files.
So much for that.
I recently came across this website that can convert html to pdf files.
[9/16/16 - I'm using it to convert amazon order invoices which are in html format to pdf. Seems to work best on firefox. Save as Web Page, HTML only.]
Let's see how well it works on my files.
The first one I tried was in mht format which is Microsoft's extension to html. It's not compatible.
OK, I found a .htm file. It converted it, but the graphics didn't come over. The text came over OK.
Well, I guess I'll live with the mht files.
***
Hey, here's another site that can supposedly convert mht files to pdf.
Well, it converted without any error messages. But the text is pretty small on the converted document. I guess I'll stick the the mht files.
So much for that.
Tuesday, August 09, 2016
Goodbye free Hulu, Hello Yahoo View
The streaming service, which launched in 2007 with ad-supported content, will be transitioning to having all users pay to play, it announced Monday.
It's a move that's not entirely shocking given the company's recent investments in original content and in expanding its film and TV library.
Users seeking free Hulu content aren't being completely shown the door, however. There will still be ad supported programming available courtesy of the streaming platform's growing distribution partnerships.
On Monday Yahoo also announced the launch of Yahoo View, a new site which will offer users free access to Hulu's content.
"Yahoo View is the extension of Yahoo's long-standing distribution partnership with Hulu and will offer thousands of TV, anime, Korean drama and movies including full episodes, films, and clips for free," the announcement's press release states. "This further emphasizes Yahoo's commitment to create an experience for people to consume content they care about while being able to connect with a community of like-minded fans."
The Yahoo TV-watching site is billing itself as "the best place to watch the last five episodes of ABC, NBC, FOX (8 days after original broadcast) and other network sitcoms."
Wednesday, August 03, 2016
Amazon Fire TV and generic remote?
To my surprise, I just happened to be press some button on my generic universal remote (my Philips universal remote in Panasonic TV mode) and the Fire TV responded.
The left, right, up, down, select buttons worked as well as the back button. Couldn't find out an equivalent to the home button or the menu button though, so it's not a complete replacement.
It didn't work when I had the remote pointed away from the TV, so I thought this means that the Fire TV supports IR remotes. But reading further, maybe it's controlling it via HDMI-CEC? Not sure.
OK, let me try test it by pointing the remote directly at the Fire TV vs. the Panasonic TV.
But now that I'm trying it, the Fire TV doesn't respond. It's like I was dreaming the whole thing. Beats me. Strange..
... later that day
OK, I wasn't dreaming. It worked again as I was watching TV and switched the input to the Fire TV. Apparently it is HDMI-CEC or at least it's not IR. That's because I could control the Fire TV when pointing directly at the TV. But not when I moved the Fire TV to the floor and pointed the remote directly at the Fire TV.
The left, right, up, down, select buttons worked as well as the back button. Couldn't find out an equivalent to the home button or the menu button though, so it's not a complete replacement.
It didn't work when I had the remote pointed away from the TV, so I thought this means that the Fire TV supports IR remotes. But reading further, maybe it's controlling it via HDMI-CEC? Not sure.
OK, let me try test it by pointing the remote directly at the Fire TV vs. the Panasonic TV.
But now that I'm trying it, the Fire TV doesn't respond. It's like I was dreaming the whole thing. Beats me. Strange..
... later that day
OK, I wasn't dreaming. It worked again as I was watching TV and switched the input to the Fire TV. Apparently it is HDMI-CEC or at least it's not IR. That's because I could control the Fire TV when pointing directly at the TV. But not when I moved the Fire TV to the floor and pointed the remote directly at the Fire TV.
Tuesday, August 02, 2016
Netflix getting stuck on Fire TV
In the last day or so, I've encountered an odd problem running Netflix on my Fire TV. After I exit Netflix and try to go back in, the Netflix progress circle keeps spinning and spinning and won't go in.
I thought it might have been a problem with my Netflix account. I tried uninstalling Netflix and reinstalling. After reinstalling, I can get into Netflix, but I have to log in with my account data.
I tried restarting the Fire TV. I can get into Netflix, but it locks again after I exit and re-enter.
I tried restoring the Fire TV to default. Same thing. I can get into Netflix initially, but after exiting and trying to go back in, it locks.
Netflix doesn't do this on any of my other devices. I tried it on my iPad and my Fire tablet and my Roku Stick and even on my Fire Stick.
Initially I had an error on Netflix on the Roku Stick with error code ui-800-3, but I reset Netflix to its original state (it was an option on the error code window) and it worked after that.
Sometimes after Netflix locks up trying to get back in, I also get errors on Hulu, youtube, and even on Amazon video (the other three main apps that I use). If I get the error on Amazon video, there's a message saying a restart might clear it up.
So after experimenting some more, it appears restarting the Fire TV is the simplest way to allow me to get back into Netflix.
So now my procedure for running Netflix on the Fire TV (after the first time) is to first restart the Fire TV from the system menu. It's not that bad as it takes less than a minute for the Fire TV to restart and another 20 seconds or so to get back into Netflix.
I'm thinking that running Netflix either corrupts the Fire TV memory or leaves in an unstable state. I suspect it could be the Fire TV hardware starting to fail. Since the warranty has long been expired (this is the original Fire TV that I bought from Best Buy in May 2014), I guess I'll do it this way for now.
I've been switching back and forth lately from the Apple TV, Roku, Fire TV.
I like the Fire TV because it can run Netflix, Hulu, youtube, and Amazon video. The Roku can do that too, but I like the captions on Hulu better on the Fire TV. One drawback is that it doesn't have certain apps, like NatGeoTV for one.
Actually I like the captions the best on the Apple TV, but it doesn't play Amazon video (though I can Airplay it from the iPad). Apple TV also doesn't have certain apps, like HGTV for example.
Roku supports the most apps, but I like its Hulu captions the least.
***
Fooling around some more... After reading this thread, I tried clearing cache, force stop, and run application. That worked. And actually I'm finding that you don't even need to clear cache. Just do a force stop and run application. So that's even faster than the system reset.
This solution (clear data from Amazon video) from Brad Lee seems to be popular too. (Didn't work for me though.)
***
And a few hours later... Netflix doesn't appear to be locking up any more. Well, wait 'til next time..
*** [8/3/16]
The next day... Stopped working again. It even seemed to affect a youtube video that couldn't play. Tried clearing cache and force stop on both Netflix and Youtube, but it didn't work. However a restart of the Fire TV cleared up the problem.
*** [8/3/16 aftenoon/evening]
OK Netflix is now behaving more responsively. Sometime when I exit Netflix and immediately try to re-enter, it immediates goes back to where I exited. It appears it's leaving the status in memory someplace and when I go back it's able to access the status and resume what it was doing. I think before when it hung up, it was accessing the previous status but then got stuck trying to resume the previous state. That's because I would sometimes notice a quick flash of a previous screen and then Netflix would get stuck.
But it doesn't always immediately resume the previous state. In this case it would take about 10 to 15 second of the circle spinning going to the Netflix profile screen (where you chose what profile you want to use). Too early to tell whether the stuck Netflix problem has been solved, but it looks like there's progress.
I'm guessing they're tweaking the Netflix app as the problem reports come in.
I thought it might have been a problem with my Netflix account. I tried uninstalling Netflix and reinstalling. After reinstalling, I can get into Netflix, but I have to log in with my account data.
I tried restarting the Fire TV. I can get into Netflix, but it locks again after I exit and re-enter.
I tried restoring the Fire TV to default. Same thing. I can get into Netflix initially, but after exiting and trying to go back in, it locks.
Netflix doesn't do this on any of my other devices. I tried it on my iPad and my Fire tablet and my Roku Stick and even on my Fire Stick.
Initially I had an error on Netflix on the Roku Stick with error code ui-800-3, but I reset Netflix to its original state (it was an option on the error code window) and it worked after that.
Sometimes after Netflix locks up trying to get back in, I also get errors on Hulu, youtube, and even on Amazon video (the other three main apps that I use). If I get the error on Amazon video, there's a message saying a restart might clear it up.
So after experimenting some more, it appears restarting the Fire TV is the simplest way to allow me to get back into Netflix.
So now my procedure for running Netflix on the Fire TV (after the first time) is to first restart the Fire TV from the system menu. It's not that bad as it takes less than a minute for the Fire TV to restart and another 20 seconds or so to get back into Netflix.
I'm thinking that running Netflix either corrupts the Fire TV memory or leaves in an unstable state. I suspect it could be the Fire TV hardware starting to fail. Since the warranty has long been expired (this is the original Fire TV that I bought from Best Buy in May 2014), I guess I'll do it this way for now.
I've been switching back and forth lately from the Apple TV, Roku, Fire TV.
I like the Fire TV because it can run Netflix, Hulu, youtube, and Amazon video. The Roku can do that too, but I like the captions on Hulu better on the Fire TV. One drawback is that it doesn't have certain apps, like NatGeoTV for one.
Actually I like the captions the best on the Apple TV, but it doesn't play Amazon video (though I can Airplay it from the iPad). Apple TV also doesn't have certain apps, like HGTV for example.
Roku supports the most apps, but I like its Hulu captions the least.
***
Fooling around some more... After reading this thread, I tried clearing cache, force stop, and run application. That worked. And actually I'm finding that you don't even need to clear cache. Just do a force stop and run application. So that's even faster than the system reset.
This solution (clear data from Amazon video) from Brad Lee seems to be popular too. (Didn't work for me though.)
***
And a few hours later... Netflix doesn't appear to be locking up any more. Well, wait 'til next time..
*** [8/3/16]
The next day... Stopped working again. It even seemed to affect a youtube video that couldn't play. Tried clearing cache and force stop on both Netflix and Youtube, but it didn't work. However a restart of the Fire TV cleared up the problem.
*** [8/3/16 aftenoon/evening]
OK Netflix is now behaving more responsively. Sometime when I exit Netflix and immediately try to re-enter, it immediates goes back to where I exited. It appears it's leaving the status in memory someplace and when I go back it's able to access the status and resume what it was doing. I think before when it hung up, it was accessing the previous status but then got stuck trying to resume the previous state. That's because I would sometimes notice a quick flash of a previous screen and then Netflix would get stuck.
But it doesn't always immediately resume the previous state. In this case it would take about 10 to 15 second of the circle spinning going to the Netflix profile screen (where you chose what profile you want to use). Too early to tell whether the stuck Netflix problem has been solved, but it looks like there's progress.
I'm guessing they're tweaking the Netflix app as the problem reports come in.
Friday, July 29, 2016
internet growth is now flat
Growth of internet users worldwide is essentially flat, and smartphone
growth is slowing, too. Those sobering insights were among the
hundreds packed into the much-awaited Internet Trends report, an annual tech industry ritual led by Mary Meeker, a general partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers.
Developing countries have proven harder to capture than expected because internet access remains inaccessible or unaffordable for many, the report said. Here are some other highlights from the report:
Developing countries have proven harder to capture than expected because internet access remains inaccessible or unaffordable for many, the report said. Here are some other highlights from the report:
Developing countries have proven harder to capture than expected because internet access remains inaccessible or unaffordable for many, the report said. Here are some other highlights from the report:
Developing countries have proven harder to capture than expected because internet access remains inaccessible or unaffordable for many, the report said. Here are some other highlights from the report:
- India is the one country where internet usage is growing, up 40 percent compared with 33 percent a year ago. India passed the U.S. to become the No. 2 global market behind China in 2015.
- The Asia Pacific region represented 52 percent of smartphone users globally in 2015. The rapid growth in recent years has begun to slow, dropping to 23 percent in 2015 from 35 percent in 2014.
- North America, Europe, and Japan represented 63 percent of global GDP in 1985. By 2015, their contribution dropped to 29 percent. China and emerging markets in Asia represented 63 percent of global GDP last year.
- Online advertising is still not very effective. Advertisers are spending an outsize amount on legacy media.
- Global birth rates are down 39 percent since 1960. So where will technology growth come from? Who knows, but at least there's this: Global life expectancy is up 36 percent since 1960.
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